BARBASTELLE BAT
IN DARTMOOR
 |
| Inside Out goes in search
of the barbastelle bat |
Hawns and Dendles wood is a national
Dartmoor nature reserve and a perfect cradle for all sorts of wildlife
including the rare and endangered barbastelle bat.
There are only eight
known colonies of barbastelle bat in the country, so not surprisingly, the
16 individuals
discovered in Hawns and Dendles have caused quite a stir
in the world of ecology.
Inside Out ventures out in the dark to find out what is
being done to protect this rare breed.
Batman
 |
| A
tiny transmitter attached to one barbastelle will help locate the
roost |
Geoff Billington is employed by English Nature and Dartmoor
National Park. His job is to discover the hidden secrets of this ancient
woodland.
Two years ago, Geoff's patient searching paid off when
he discovered the rare colony.
The proof of a breeding colony will allow the barbastelle
to be included in a Dartmoor Special Area of Conservation.
But in order to be able to protect these
creatures, Geoff
firstly needs to identify their feeding areas.
He will do this with the help of a tiny transmitter weighing
a third of a gram, but first Geoff must find a volunteer to sport it.
Gently does it
| BATTY
FACTS |
|
Bats are not blind, but they can also "see"
in the dark by listening to the echoes of their high frequency calls
Bats rarely live in belfries. They prefer somewhere
quiet, not draughty, and free from cobwebs
In Britain it is illegal to disturb bats or the
places where they roost
Bats can live for up to 30 years
Of about 4,500 different species of mammal in the
world, nearly 1,000 are bats
Bat populations are threatened not only by loss
of habitat, affecting roosting sites and feeding grounds, but also
by deliberate killing and over-exploitation for food
Britain's commonest bat, the pipistrelle, is only
four centimetres long and weighs about five grams - less than a
2p coin!
Of the 16 species of bat left in Britain, six are
endangered or rare, and six others are vulnerable
|
Geoff and his colleague Jan Collins successfully catch
the elusive barbastelle in a special bat friendly fine mesh net.
Working with bats is strictly licensed so Geoff and Jan
ensure that all their equipment meets regulations.
The transmitter is carefully attached and the bat released
- a delicate operation, but the difficulty is by no means over.
Now Geoff and Jan must follow the signals of the transmitter
to lead them to the roost.
Unlike other bats, the barbastelle flies many miles in
search of food, but luckily for Geoff, he is upwardly mobile, in his very
own bat mobile.
Fly by night
Chasing signals at 2am is hectic and frustrating. But
the signals finally lead through Lee Mill - the site where developers
are proposing a new town.
The Lee Mill plans are unlikely to be given the go ahead,
yet the pressure to build in this barbastelle heartland will no doubt
continue to increase.
Knowledge is power, but in the case of the barbastelle,
knowledge is protection.
The more that can be learnt about these endangered bats,
the more people like Geoff can do to give them the vital protection they
need. |
