Florida Bats Now Protected
Recently, bats have become a protected species in the Sunshine State.
Most non-game species in Florida have some protection. I learned recently that state wildlife officials have specifically listed bats in categories similar to gopher tortoises and other native species. Sadly, their numbers and habitats have been dwindling with the onslaught of development.
That is, it is now illegal to kill or harm a bat in Florida.
One Florida bat species, the Florida bonneted bat, is also classified as a federal endangered species.
The Center for Biological Diversity, Tropical Audubon Society and the North American Butterfly Association of South Florida recently filed suit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They alleged the agency had not designated critical habitat to protect this species, whose habitat is primarily in South Florida.
However, in 2014, biologists found a roost in a tree cavity at Avon Park Air Force Range.
Some ways people may inadvertently injure or kill bats is by over-trimming palm trees. That kind of trimming isn’t particularly good for the palms, either — or disturbing their roosting sites. Bats also use tree cavities as roosting sites, so another way to help a bat and other wildlife is to keep mature trees with cavities.
If you discover bats in your attic, they must be humanely removed under state law and can be removed only between Aug. 15 and April 15. This protects a bat while they are raising their young.
Although some eat fruit and pollen, most of them — including all of the bat species found in Florida — eat insects, which benefits people by controlling insects that spread diseases and damage crops.
Bat advocates say research estimates bats save farmers $23 billion a year in crop losses and damage. Also, bats’ control of insect populations reduces the need for pesticides.
They do not attack people, either.
