ZAGREB, April 20, 2020 - The first bat habitat has been created in the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park, and it meets all the criteria for being listed as an internationally important bat shelter according to EUROBATS's Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats.
Warmer weather brings about an increase in the number of insects bats feed on, so after their winter sleep bats start migrating to their summer habitats.
Bats will now for the first time come to their new habitat on the souvenir shop of the visitors' centre in Krapje. Since bats, besides forests and caves, also inhabit old houses made of natural materials, they had started to inhabit the walls of the souvenir shop four years ago.
Seeing as they impact the hygiene of the area, Lonjsko Polje Nature Park experts suggested that a bat habitat be installed. The solution builds on good practice in bat conservation worldwide. Two oak habitats with three chambers each were installed for bats on the wooden facade of the souvenir shop.
"Due to the coronavirus pandemic, bats have been unnecessarily stigmatised in the past few months. Bats in Croatia cannot transmit the virus to humans, and they are of great value for the ecosystem," Valerija Hima, expert manager at Lonjsko Polje Nature Park Public Institution, said on the occasion of International Bat Appreciation Day on April 17.
International Bat Appreciation Day is observed to inform the public about the importance of this protected species. Bats eat several hundreds of mosquitoes daily, contributing to the ecological balance by reducing the number of insects. Some rare bat species help to pollinate plants. There are about 1,400 bat species around the world and they live in nature, but also in urban areas, parks, gardens and buildings.
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