Save the bats

News Article -- August 24, 2012

“Today is a triple celebration: for you, the bats, and nature!” – announced one of the few bats specialist in Lithuania and thereby started the “Save the bats” event which was jointly organized by the Lithuanian Nature Fund and CSC Baltic. The initiative “Save the bats” was the first time in Lithuania a company and its employees have directly contributed to bat preservation. CSC Baltic supported the production of 19 nesting boxes, which were hung up high on trees by a number of enthusiastic employees. The nesting boxes were of different sizes and types so that scientists could observe and identify the most preferred types of boxes by different species of bats. A single nesting box can be used for around 10-15 years.

Why bats you may ask. First, these, at first sight no so pleasant creatures, do not attack people at night (a widely believed myth about bats); on the contrary, they are friends – a boon to all nature! Bats eat various insects and in that way help to save plants from insect pests and they also help in keeping the mosquito population under control. Studies into bat behaviour are quite recent in Lithuania. Individual scientists have conducted research into these little animals in order to get more information about their living habits and help them to survive in the wild.

During the event everyone reaped their own benefits:

• A celebration for you: CSC Baltic employees and their children, who joined us at Verkiai Regional Park, not only spent a lovely sunny afternoon outside, but were able to dispel the myths about bats through watching a documentary and being able to see the places where the bats live.
• A celebration for bats: they got new homes – 19 nesting boxes!
•  A celebration for the team: team spirit lingered in the air: some carried ladders, some were holding the nesting boxes or hammers, some were distributing nails to the people who climbed up the ladder to a height of 4-5m to nail nesting boxes on the trees, and everyone had the honor of placing a CSC sticker on each nesting box.
  • A celebration for nature: the whole world celebrated International Bats Night on 25-26 August! It is an event that aims to inspire people to understand more about bats’ habitat and the importance of their preservation.