Battling for British Bats | Opinion

Ellie May Forrester on the importance of Bats in the UK, and how we can abolish the stereotypes by adapting to live closer in harmony with them.

Yet again bats find themselves embroiled in another negative media frenzy further damaging their already tainted image. Under the suspected species spotlight this time for being a carrier of Covid-19, a zoonotic disease which could have potentially spread to other animals e.g. pangolins and then on to humans. The source of this deadly disease has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan, China, however, there is still much debate by scientists surrounding this evidence. I fear that this current crisis will create an even greater stigma towards bats in Britain, especially at a time when there are so many on the brink of extinction.    Yet again bats find themselves embroiled in another negative media frenzy further damaging their already tainted image. Under the suspected species spotlight this time for being a carrier of Covid-19, a zoonotic disease which could have potentially spread to other animals e.g. pangolins and then on to humans. The source of this deadly disease has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan, China, however, there is still much debate by scientists surrounding this evidence. I fear that this current crisis will create an even greater stigma towards bats in Britain, especially at a time when there are so many on the brink of extinction.   

In the West it is common for us to be judgemental when we see press photographs of wild and domestic animals crammed into tiny cages because our cultural views are different. Even though I don’t condone this, it is a way of life for some people living in South East Asia and maybe the only way in which they can feed themselves and their families.  In Britain it is easy for us to be critical of how bats are treated or perceived in other countries.  But is this hypocritical? Our own track record with bats in the UK, of which there are 18 species, is hardly a thing to be proud of. There has been a significant population decline over the last century due to a boom in urbanisation, farming and industrial practices. Consequently, bats are being pushed to the edges of the disappearing habitats which they once thrived.   The Bat Conservation Trust and JNCC reported in 2017, bat species which are habitat specialist such as the Natter’s bat, Barbastelle, Bechstein have been most impacted by the remove woodlands.

This isn’t helped by the fact that bats have long suffered from a bad PR image in Britain because of their association with cultural events such as Halloween and horror movies.  As a result, some people view this species as scary bloodsuckers that are not aesthetically pleasing, whilst others see bats as disease ridden pests. This fear stems from these cultural perceptions rather than actual knowledge or understanding. It can be argued that because we have distanced ourselves so far away from some species, we have simply forgotten how live alongside them.  A study by the University of Cambridge in 2017 found that children from the age of 8+ could name more Pokémon types than wildlife species. These findings are shocking because they illustrate the trend of nature deficiency amongst the younger generations. However, this is also in a similar vein for the older generation too, with another study finding that adults spent less than 15 minutes a day outside.   

We need start looking at bats in a different light and appreciate the benefits they bring to the natural world.  For instance, there are 1,400 bat species worldwide and they have adapted to wide range of habitats from the rainforest to temporal climates.  Bat species have split into numerous family groups from insectivorous to herbivores and carnivorous.  In several countries, bats are pollinators and we rely on a few bat -adapted plants to enrich our lifestyles which include, bananas, vanilla, and Tequila! An interesting fact to ponder on when addressing the vermin/pest debate is that, genetically, bats are more closely related to us than they are to mice.        In the UK, all our bats are insectivorous, and a small pipistrelle can consume 3,000 insects per night, and they use echolocation to navigate and hunt for insects. It is common for bats to have more than one roost. For example, females will use a separate maternity roost in which to give birth and use another roost to hibernate in during the winter months. Bats are vital to our agriculture, and even those who consider them to be a pest get their crops defended from insects by them. They are also a useful biodiversity indicator, being higher up the food chain than nocturnal insects as well as being sensitive to the habitat changes caused by agricultural practices.

I remember as a child being absolutely fascinated by the pipistrelle bats flitting through our garden at sunset. This is an experience that can’t be brought but is a feeling that can inspire for a lifetime.  As someone who is actively involved in the conservation of bats, I am deeply concerned about our current lack of knowledge about them. The consequence of this ignorance can lead to devastating outcomes for this endangered species. In April 2019, Landrose Developments Ltd, in London was fined £18,820 for damaging a common pipistrelle bats breeding roost. The site had undergone an ecological survey which showed that the company could not demolish a building because of the bats that were present in it.  To mitigate the bats correctly and legally they required someone with a European Protected Species License, but instead of pursing this the company decided to go ahead and pull down the building anyway, thus, breaking the Conservation of Species and Habitat Regulations. I suspect these incidents probably occur more frequently, but they are not all reported. 

“I remember as a child being absolutely fascinated by the pipistrelle bats flitting through our garden at sunset. This is an experience that can’t be brought but is a feeling that can inspire for a lifetime.”

In order to successfully tackle this issue as a country we must start to value native wildlife which lives on our doorstep by increasing education and changing misconception of bats, and in doing so eradicating the negative cultural rhetoric surrounding bats and develop a greater understanding and appreciation of their role within the ecosystem. Furthermore, it is vital that property developers, councils and architects consider the current state of nature and how their decisions could impact on species like bats but also on people’s health and general wellbeing.  Over the last 20 years the nature and well-being movement has gained momentum by engaging property developers in these debates and persuading architects to design more sympathetically to nature. Developers should be encouraged to establish wildlife corridors in housing estates by creating green zones, which would also benefit residents’ health and wellbeing.  By building houses which incorporate bat boxes, residents could be encouraged to work with wildlife groups and charities to develop a greater understanding of this enigmatic species for the benefit of us, as well as them.  
 

Ellie May Forrester is freelance writer based in Shropshire she has recently a graduated from the University of Chester with a degree in wildlife conservation and ecology.  Since 2016 she has been campaigning for accessible nature for disabled people and has written for wide variety of publications which includes; BBC Wildlife, The Huffington Post and BBC Countryfile.com

Her Twitter handle is: @elliemaywriter6