Bat Researchers: Please Pay Attention to Us After Halloween
Mother Bat and Pup UNEPNext year is the "Year of the Bat" This is probably the only weekend of the year when people think about bats. Their mysterious, dark nature makes them essential Halloween decorations, and this perennial association with creepiness ensures most people think of them as scary and unwanted. Hoping to shift that perception, bat conservation groups and the United Nations Environment Programme designated 2011-2012 as the "Year of the Bat," and kicked it off this week. Andreas Streit, executive secretary at the UNEP and Eurobats, said the initiative will raise awareness for bat conservation. Biologists and educators can order stickers, postcards and other material with pictures of cute, fuzzy bats. "In many parts of the world, the term ‘bat conservation' is totally unknown. In many countries, bats have a very bad reputation, out of superstition and prejudices," Streit said. "One of the goals of this project is to...