Going To Bat For The Bats

By Ike Pigott
Alabama NewsCenter

Halloween brings bats to the forefront, in the form of decorations and the celebration of all things scary. Popular culture has not been so kind to the reputation of bats. Whether it is the vampiric transformations, or just the heebie-jeebies of a flying furry mammal, bats are not found on most “popular animals” lists.

The Birmingham Zoo and other organizations use this time of year to educate about the role bats play in the ecosystem. A large bat-themed exhibit at the 2017 Boo at the Zoo ties into Bat Week, and plays an important role in dispelling myths.

There are probably more bats in your neighborhood than you know, and they perform an important function in keeping insect populations in check by eating enough bugs each year to offset as much of $3 billion in pesticides.However, in recent years, North American bats have encountered a plague of their own, known as white-nose syndrome. As the disease spreads, killing millions of bats, some are calling it a continent-wide crisis.

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