Nabu: Over 70 roost sponsors for bats in Saxony

In Saxony, more than 70 people are currently monitoring a total of 120 bat roosts. These roost sponsors report how many and which animals they see at the sites. According to Nabu Saxony, the 28th International Batnight, which is organized by the European Bat Protection Office in 38 countries, will take place this weekend.

Night-time excursions planned

In Saxony, Nabu is planning walks at dusk when the cute little animals soar through the air. During excursions to Hirschfeld Zoo or the Moritzburg cemetery forest, for example, experts will provide information about the flying mammals' way of life, make their high-frequency calls audible with a detector and show how the animals can be protected.

According to the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology, there are currently 22 bat species in the state - from pug, nymph and fringed bats to the greater mouse-eared bat, the common noctule and the lesser horseshoe bat.

Many species endangered

21 species are reproducing - the white-edged bat has so far only been recorded as an individual. Four species are extremely rare, seven are endangered, six are critically endangered and four are close to the red list - only the water bat is currently listed as not endangered.

The State Environment Agency and Nabu consider building renovations and demolitions to be the main threats to the animals, as well as forestry and agriculture and collisions with windows or wind turbines, for example. They lack food due to insect mortality, and careless building renovations and the felling of old trees are causing them to lose shelters in attics, basements, behind shutters or facades.

Simple countermeasures

Bat boards, flat boxes and cave boxes can help, as can bat-friendly gardens - with nectar-rich night-flowering plants, no poisons, a pond and old fruit trees.