On the last full weekend of August, the world celebrates one of the most unusual conservation holidays – International Bat Night, or International Chiropteran Night. Its main goal – is to attract public attention to the problems of bats and their protection, as well as to debunk the myths around animals, before which many people experience unjustified superstitious fear, considering them vampires.
In fact, – bats are amazing mammals that, thanks to their structure, have mastered the art of flight. Four long toes of highly developed forelimbs support the wing. The long, narrow tail, equal to the length of the head, is also covered with a flight membrane. The clawed hind limb toes are free of webbing, with bats clinging to branches and protrusions while hanging upside down.
There is an explanation for the fact that bats are nocturnal. They have very poor eyesight, adapted only to darkness. But bats have a remarkably developed sense of smell and hearing, which help them hunt and navigate in space, as well as a unique ability to echo sound, which, besides them, only dolphins have.
Chiropterology is involved in bat research. Now science knows about 1,300 species of chiropterans – is about a fifth of all mammals.
Bats are found everywhere except in polar regions and highlands. And they are all safe. The exception is vampire bats with large and sharp teeth, living in Latin America and feeding on the blood of small rodents, birds, and occasionally – and livestock.
Many species of bats are on the verge of extinction. The problem has become especially acute in recent decades, due to the cutting down of hollow trees (it is in hollows that most of these animals find shelter), the use of various pesticides (bats die after eating « poisoned» insects) and persecution by humans – due to basic illiteracy and prejudice.
There is an International Agreement on the Protection of Chiroptera, signed by a number of countries. The bat festival itself originated in Europe, and today it is held in many cities and regions in more than 30 countries around the world. Traditionally, the night is held on the last weekend of August, but the exact choice of date remains with the organizers.
The date was not chosen by chance: it is at the end of summer that bats migrate for the winter in order not only to hibernate, but also to give birth to offspring.
These days, lectures, exhibitions, and seminars dedicated to the protection of these animals are held in many European countries, and on the festive night excursions are organized during which you can see hidden animals. Special dugout houses are hung in the forests.