Bats

Bats are animals that we don’t often think about, they are creatures of the night and we are usually only aware of them if we see them swooping around the sky at dusk. Many people are uneasy about bats and are often unsure what to do if they come across an injured bat or discover them roosting in their homes.

Bats are clean and sociable animals and spend many hours grooming themselves. Many shelter in buildings, behind hanging tiles and boarding, or in roof spaces. They are great at pest control, did you know that one common pipistrelle bat can eat over 3,000 tiny insects in a single night! There are 17 species of bat in the Britain and Ireland, some of which are very rare. Unfortunately, due to the use of pesticides that has killed many of the bats insect prey (and indeed bats themselves) and with their roosting sites and feeding grounds having been destroyed by our modern lifestyle, the numbers of bats has declined over the past century to such an extent, that they are now protected by law.

If you find an injured bat; think that you have them roosting in your property or you just want to find out more about them, please see the related links at the bottom of this page.