The public can once again learn about the lives and conservation of our flying mammals thanks to a series of events taking place as part of European Bat Night. Experts across the Czech Republic have prepared a rich programme at over 60 locations. Alongside lectures, activities for children, walks with ultrasound detectors, and mist-netting demonstrations, visitors at many sites can also look forward to meeting tame, permanently disabled bats. A detailed overview of all planned Bat Nights in Bohemia and Moravia can be found on the dedicated website netopyrinoc.cz. The events are getting underway in the coming days.

Explaining the focus of the event, Jana Vandrovcová from the Czech Bat Conservation Society (ČESON), national coordinator for the Czech Republic, says: “Bat Nights are traditionally held in locations where these rare mammals live, such as castles, châteaux, caves, and large parks. Eco-centres, nature visitor centres, zoos, wildlife rescue centres, and other public education venues are also taking part. Many bat species are closely connected to humans, roosting in various buildings and trees in towns and villages. Tolerance from property owners and tenants of buildings hosting bat roosts, alongside the protection of old trees, is among the most crucial factors in helping bats. Chiropterologists—experts on flying mammals—are therefore continuously striving to show how bats live and the hazards they face.”

European Bat Night takes place under the auspices of the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS). In the Czech Republic, it is organised by members of ČESON in cooperation with the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (NCA CR), alongside staff from heritage sites, museums, and regional NGOs. “Bat Night also shows the public what is being done to protect these mammals. That is precisely why we traditionally support it. We welcome reports if people discover bats themselves. These records are stored in the Nature Conservation Occurrence Database and used to support bat conservation,” adds Karolína Šůlová from NCA CR.

The coordination of European Bat Night and selected events is carried out under a ČESON project supported by the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic, based on a decision by the Minister of the Environment.

Photo: Přemysl Tájek, parti-coloured bat