Shelter for bats

1,006 bat boxes in the Canton of Zug are looked after by Bat Conservation. The aim of the newly launched project is to inspect all the boxes at least twice within four years, and to check for the presence of bats or traces of them.
 
Action is certainly needed. "29 out of the 30 local bat species are threatened with extinction," says Isabelle Bögli, the cantonal Bat Conservation Officer. She is nevertheless confident, because "you can achieve a lot with little measures".
 
And it’s these measures that Bat Conservation has now initiated. The bat boxes act as a substitute for cracks and holes in old trees, rocks and buildings that the bats use for shelter. The narrow entrance hole and the missing base area prevent birds from occupying a bat box. "The insides of the walls were deliberately left rough to give the bats the opportunity to hold on with their claws," explains Bat Conservation. During the checks, broken boxes are removed and those in conservation areas are relocated. Why is that? "We focus more on the urban space," says Isabelle Bögli. The bat boxes, which are easy to check, are therefore increasingly attached to buildings. There's plenty of habitat for bats in country areas, but there not so much for them in the cities.
 
The project also wants to involve private persons: "The boxes placed in residential areas would be ideally supervised and checked directly by the tenants or homeowners," says Bat conservation. The organization hopes that valuable habitats such as groups of trees, natural gardens and possible nesting sites can be found.
 
Volunteers are cordially invited to actively carry out neighbourhood and box checks.
 
Information:
Batsightings (animals or their tracks) can be reported to the cantonal Bat Conservation Officer, Isabelle Bögli:
077 423 91 28(Wednesdays 7a.m. to 7 p.m.)
 Please contact the Bat Care Centre (041 758041 758 07 3407 34) if you find injured bats or juveniles.