Photograph by Haris Nicolaou

Why don’t you join us in our current project – the wonderful world of Cyprus bats? Our new project began in summer 2006 when we learned that the fruit bats of Cyprus were unprotected and were being shot for fun.

Children's work

Bats are strictly protected by law in every EU country including Cyprus, of course. Yet practically no measures had been taken to set up any conservation system more than a decade after bat work had begun in countries such as Ireland or the UK.

Photo courtesy of Tolga Bat Hospital

In only a few months, ARC had produced posters and leaflets in English, Greek and Turkish. We also succeeded in co-organising the island’s first seminar on bats, which was attended by government personnel from Forestry and other departments.

Pat at Troodos

We also succeeded in getting the Competent Authority (Department of Environment) to erect protective fences around the fruit bats’ cave roosts.

DID YOU KNOW?

Cyprus is the only EU country to have fruit-eating bats? These megechiropterans (or large bats) may come to your garden to feed, if you have fig trees or mesphila. You may see the mother bats with their infant clinging to their belly, before the young are able to fly.

WHY YOU ARE LUCKY IF YOU HAVE BATS VISIT YOUR GARDEN

One of the small insect-eating (microchiropteran) bats can eat literally thousands of mosquitoes each evening, amounting to tons in one year. Please don’t spray insecticides – let these harmless little creatures do the job.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

•  Put up a couple of bat boxes
  
•  Contact us for leaflets/ posters to distribute
  
•  Count your bats.
  
•  Contact ARC and we can visit with a bat detector and tell you what species you have.
  
•  Join us on a bat walk.
  
•  Teachers – ask us to visit you school – use our bat educational worksheets