International Bat Night, 2019 Romanian edition

On August the 24th, in Bucharest…

the colleagues from the Wilderness Research and Conservation Association, together with the National Museum of Natural History “Grigore Antipa”, through their Bats of the Urban Environment project(funded by the IKEA Environmental Fund), organized the International Bat Night for a public over 200 people, including dozens of children. The event took place at the National Museum of Natural History “Grigore Antipa”. Initially, participants learned about the importance of bats in ecosystems, their adaptations to the environment and various methods of bat protection, and at the end, notions of bioacoustics were presented. Brochures and stickers about the importance of bats were distributed. Children were able to admire a diorama with several specimens of noctules (Nyctalus noctula), obtained from the rescue and rehabilitation actions of urban bats.

The end of the evening was held in the courtyard of the museum, where with the help of two ultrasound detectors, the participants were able to listen to the flying bats. With the help of strong lights, certain characteristics regarding flight routes during feeding were explained. The artificial bat boxes places on trees of the museum courtyard were presented, which began to be populated during the summer by isolated bats.

Also on August the 24th, in the Vârghiș Gorge (Covasna and Harghita counties)…

the “Myotis Group” for the Conservation of Bats, in partnership with the Speo-Touristic and Nature Protection Association “The Lost World” organized the most natural event of the series till now. The more than 120 participants, through various activities, had the opportunity to learn about the mysterious world of bats. Saturday afternoon the program started with a photo exhibition, followed by a movie. After dark, participants were able to familiarize themselves with bat research methods at Calului Cave, by using ultrasound detectors and by capturing bats with mistnets. Since many saw bats for the first time in their lives, direct observation was very successful among participants. The event was organized within the project “Conservation of bats and caves in protected areas with the involvement of local communities”, funded by the Partnership Foundation and MOL Romania.

On August the 28^th, in Vatra Dornei (Suceava county)…

colleagues from the SpeoBucovina Club Speleological Foundation organized the event at the Neagra Șarului School. The small school community from Neagra Șarului and Șaru Dornei celebrated bats at the end of August. On the sports area of the school children gathered and sang, danced the beauty of nature, of the natural value of the community – Tinovul Șaru Dornei, where among many mammals, bats play an important role. Creative workshops (drawing and molding) challenged participants to discover the life of these unique mammals. All the materials created were included into an exhibition in the school. In the evening participants gathered to listen to bats with an ultrasound detector: “now they catch the insects, this is why they make such sounds?”. The event was organized within the project “Tales of Tinovului Şaru Dornei”, funded by the Partnership Foundation and MOL Romania. It brought together more than 200 children, teachers and parents on the sports field of the Neagra Șarului School.

The colleagues from the Center for Research and Conservation of Bats awaited…

the start of the school year to organize, on September the 13th, in Cluj-Napoca (Cluj County), the local edition of the International Bat Night. The partners of the event were the Cluj-Napoca Mayor’s Office, the Center for Urban Culture in Cluj-Napoca, the Tourist Information Center of the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca, Visit Cluj, Transylvania’s Nature Association, the “Emil Racoviță” Cave Research Institute, Propark – Foundation for Protected Areas, Avenul Caver Club (Brașov), Amateur Caver’s Club of Cluj, “Alexandru Borza” Botanical Garden, and BW Photo Booth. The media partner of the event was I Like Cluj. At the Casino’s Building, the approx. 200 participants had part in activities for children, photo exhibitions about bats and caves, a scientific section with posters, presentations / video projections about the bats of Romania, and an audio-visual route about the ultrasound of bats. At the end of the event, a bat walk took place in the Central Park, listening to the ultrasounds of the bats. The activities and the event took place also under the umbrella of the Protected Area Week, a project by ProPark – Foundation for Protected Areas, funded by the Partnership Foundation and MOL Romania.

Also on September the 13^th, in Făgăraș (Brașov county)…

the Center for Bat Research and Conservation, in partnership with Radu Negru National College from Făgăraș, the “Andrei Şaguna” Faculty of Theology from Sibiu, Făgăraşului Country Foundation, Făgaraș Culture House and ProPark – Foundation for Protected Areas, organized the International Bat Night in the premises of the Radu Negru National College, and later, at the Făgăraș Fortress. Over 200 students participated in activities and at the event. After finding out about bats and seeing lots of pictures of different species, Father Dudan Sergiu entertained participants with a visual and auditory representation of what a year in the life of a bat would look like. The children were encouraged to contribute to the screenplay, resulting in some funny scenes. Later, the children and their parents took part, very curious, in the field application for listening to ultrasounds at the Făgăraș Fortress. Here they could hear bats and see how the sounds these animals emit help them to orient themselves in the dark. The activities and the event took place also under the umbrella of the Protected Area Week, a project by ProPark – Foundation for Protected Areas, funded by the Partnership Foundation and MOL Romania.

On the same day, on September the 13th, in Suseni (Harghita County)…

the colleagues from Olarsons, with the support of the Transylvania’s Nature Association, the Center for Bat Research and Conservation, and the “Myotis Group” for Bat Conservation, organized an event dedicated to bats and art. Participants watched movies and presentations about bats in the town hall building, but later, before sunset, they went out to listen to flying bats, with the aid of an ultrasound detector, provided by the Myotis Group.

On September the 14th, in Constanța (Constanța County)…

the Center for Bat Research and Conservation, in partnership with Mare Nostrum Association and ProPark – Foundation for Protected Areas, organized the International Bat Night on the famous seafront of the Constanța Casino. The event included a selfie workshop, called “Battitude yourself!”, an audio-video tour about bat ultrasounds, a bat themed photo exhibition, but also a creative workshop for young and old. The approx. 200 participants also had the chance to receive answers to the questions they always wanted to ask about bats. The activities and the event took place also under the umbrella of the Protected Area Week, a project by ProPark – Foundation for Protected Areas, funded by the Partnership Foundation and MOL Romania.

For the end of the series, for one whole week in September, in Petrila (Hunedoara County)…

the Matei and Friends Association organized the International Bat Night at the Local Information Center, together with High School nr. 6 from Petrila, as well as with the support of the Center for Bat Research and Conservation, and that of the Wilderness Research and Conservation Association. The school children had the opportunity to listen to bat ultrasounds, to see how Romanian bats look (through a photo exhibition), and to find out about the benefits of the presence of bats in the environment.

In total, the 2019 International Bat Night series in Romania gathered (combined for all locations) an audience of over 1,200 people, most of them children and the young generation. We thank all organizations and partners for their effort to disseminate information about bats and their importance in the environment!