WILDLIFE
wide?
Ignorance
and
superstition are
bats'
greatest
enemies.
Many
people
misunderstand bats,
fear them
Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bat.
and
consider
From page 31
them
dangerous,
so
will not
more recently Wahlberg's
hesitate
to
kill
one
if
they find
epauletted fruit bat.
it
in
their
homes.
Studies of bats have contribHuman encroachment has
uted to the development of
navigational aids for the blind, led to loss of habitat. Bats also
die in large numbers where
birth control and artificial
chemicals are used on the
insemination techniques,
vaccine production and drug insects and plants that they
eat.
testing, as well as to a better
Entry by people into bat
understanding of lowhibernation caves during
temperature surgical procewinter causes bats to awaken
dures.
and lose valuable energy
So why is it that bat populareserves.
tions are decreasing nation-
Smallholders have an
important role to play in
conserving bats. Armed with
information about the
importance of bats to
biodiversity, smallholders can
inform members of the family,
friends and workers.
By planting indigenous trees
we are providing food and
shelter for bats or we can put
up bat houses for them.
If you have to move bats out
of your house, provide a bat
house as an alternative place
to roost. Roof-roosting bats
can sometimes
become a noisy
or smelly
nuisance, but
installing a bat
house away
from your home
will draw them
away. Do not
use a pest
control company
that will
fumigate them, Bat in flight.
32
www.sasmallholder.co.za
as this is fatal and also illegal.
Bat houses are also provided
by some farmers to attract
bats to an area, so that they
can help in keeping down the
pest population.
The Gauteng Bat Interest
Group will help with batrelated queries or problems:
www.batsgauteng.org.za.
For bat houses call Nigel
Fernsby on 071 609-8230 or
EcoSolutions on 072 3659777.