Are bats the danger or in danger?

Bats are the only representatives of Barnaul flying theriofauna. All in all there are 11 bat species living in Altai Krai. All of them are listed in the regional Red Book. Should people be afraid of bats, or are bats in danger themselves? This issue is explained by chiropterologists – zoology scientists studying bats and other chiropterans.

“We assume that bats’ early awakening can be expected due to the warm winter and fast approaching spring. The time of awakening of different species varies from the middle of March to the end of April, especially if the weather is warm. Altogether there are 6 bat species inhabiting Barnaul. All of the species are not more than 85 mm long and are insectivores, although some people have negative attitude towards these animals,” says ASU Faculty of Biology master’s degree student, chiropterologist Lyubov Ebel. “I doubt that there is any other animal suffering from negative propaganda more than bats. Seeking for warmth, food, weather protection or sometimes out of curiosity, they fly into the entrance halls, open windows of flats and houses, frightening people and their pets by doing so. How should we act in such cases? First, I would like to dispel the most common myth – Altai Krai bats pose no hazard to people’s lives, as their food ration consists only of insects. Bats do not cause harm to people. Just the other way around, these animals are very vulnerable because of their sentinel pile between fore and hind limbs. If the pile is injured, it will be impossible for a bat to survive in the natural environment. It is expressly prohibited to catch the animal with hands. The most preferable way is to get the pets out of the room, where the bat is flying and screaming, open the window or the door and hunt the animal away with a piece of cloth.”