April 17th is International Bat Appreciation Day!
Bats are crucial members of the environment. They provide pest control, disease control, and even medical assistance to humans. Bats are responsible for the pollination and seed dispersal of many plant species and help with plant regrowth after fires and habitat destruction. Without bats, we wouldn’t have things like tequila, bananas, mango, and avocados.
However, bats are subject to a lot of negativity. Bats are still associated with demons, the devil, witches, and evil. Many cultures view bats as bad omens or bringers of negative energy. They get a bad reputation as carriers of disease or pests to farmers.
Changing public opinion is very hard, but celebrations like Bat Appreciation Day is a good step in the right direction. Many facilities and organizations, like us here at Lubee, will do something to honor our batty friends. So what does Lubee do?
Lubee celebrates Bat Appreciation Day with our friends at Blackadder Brewing Company. We bring our am-bat-ssador animals, including exotic fruit bat Sunshine and native Evening bats Melk and Fruitloops. We set up bat themed games and activities. We even sell our bat merch! Other artists and vendors are invited to join in the celebration of our batty friends. There’s food trucks that come out for lunch. This year, we’re even doing a 5k run!
The goal for our Bat Appreciation Day celebration is to put bats in a positive light for our local community. By inviting friends and neighbors to see bats in person and talk to Lubee staff, we can change minds and bust myths. This encourages people to be aware of bats and their habitats all over the world, understand how important they are, and make decisions to protect them. The hope is to inspire the next generation to care about bats and their habitat and prevent extinction!
But how did Bat Appreciation Day come to be?
International Bat Appreciation Day was first introduced by Bat Conservation International (BCI). BCI was founded in 1982 by scientists and conservationists and has grown to an internationally recognized conservation organization. Their mission is to conserve the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet. BCI values science and result based methods in their fight to end extinctions. From their founding, they have performed endangered species interventions, restored habitats, and researched in the name of bat conservation.
Between 2014 and 2018, BCI identified 35 critically endangered species across the world in need of protection. The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has identified over 200 bat species as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered. As of 2023, IUCN has listed 85 species of bat as Endangered and 28 species of bat as Critically Endangered.
To help their conservation efforts, and prevent other bat species from reaching this point, BCI founded International Bat Appreciation Day to bring awareness to bats and their importance.
So come out to Blackadder Brewing Company on April 27th to see Sunshine, chat with Lubee keepers, and appreciate bats!
To all our batty friends out there, stay appreciative!
