Bats of all shapes and sizes invaded Indiana State University  in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Saturday, September 13, 2008.  No, there's no need to call an exterminator.  It was all part of an annual bat festival where experts from around the Midwest join forces to promote bat education and conservation.  Aside from showing off numerous live bats from the United States and around the world, bat experts educated festival-goers about global and regional bat species diversity and the important ecological roles bats play in nature.  Speakers also took time to debunk many popularly held myths about bats such as: they’re blind; all bats have rabies; they get caught in people’s hair; and they’re dirty.  Festival-goers of all ages left knowing a little more about these often misunderstood nocturnal creatures.

Andy King, endangered species biologist with the Bloomington, Indiana Ecological Services Field Office, represented the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at this year’s bat festival while distributing bat fact sheets, coloring pages, posters, a Service-sponsored Indiana bat activity book for teachers on CD (available for downloading at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/mammals/inba/index.html), and other educational materials.  Mr. King also had an opportunity to answer numerous questions posed to him about the federally endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) and gray bat (Myotis grisescens) throughout the day.  Both species occur in Indiana and the Bloomington Field Office coordinates recovery efforts for the Indiana bat throughout the species’ 20-state range. 

According to Dr. John O. Whitaker Jr., Director of ISU’s Center for North American Bat Research and Conservation, about 1,250 people attended last year’s Bat Fest and approximately 2,000 people attended this year’s events.  “It’s a great way to educate the public,” Whitaker said about why the event is important. “People don’t know much about bats and are afraid of them when they shouldn’t be.”

At this year’s bat festival, educational and environmental exhibits were presented by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Reclamation, Indiana Karst Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Indiana State University, Organization for Bat Conservation, Indiana State Museum, Bat Conservation International, Boy Scouts of America, Ouabaches Land Conservancy, and Indiana-based bat artist Paula Warfield.

Bats are the only mammals that can fly, often live 20 to 30 years, can eat 2,000 to 5,000 insects a night, and some pollinate plants and spread fruit seeds in tropical rain forests. Worldwide, there are more than 1,100 species of bats, but many species’ populations are declining.  Nine bat species are currently listed by the Service as federally threatened or endangered in the United States and its territories.