Protecting Bat Species in Europe and at Home – Pic of the Week

My first thought upon discovering a tiny bat perched on a cobblestone in the outdoor corridors of hrad Špilberk (Spilberk Castle) was of Bram Stoker’s Gothic horror novel, Dracula. I was traveling through Europe, stopping in Brno, Czechia (also known as Brünn in German), when we met. I’d never seen a bat up close before, let alone in a castle extremely evocative of one of my favorite classic novels.

While this bat (to my knowledge) was not the reincarnation of central European royalty, nor was it a vampire bat at all (as none currently inhabit Europe), it piqued my curiosity. With the amount of castles in Europe, how many of them have become de facto homes for bats? Are bats protected by law in Europe?

Generally, bat encounters aren’t positive ones, either in fiction or reality. Bats receive commonplace mentions in regulations of wet markets worldwide due to the potential of the animals to carry viruses, as well as a subject of national research in the wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this negative treatment, in 1994, the Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS) entered into force. This agreement emphasized the need to conserve the populations of 55 species of European bats, which contribute to environmental protection by regulating insect populations or serving as pollinators. According to EUROBATS, “bat populations are one of the best natural indicators of the health of our environment.”

As of 2021, 38 states are parties to the agreement with an additional 25 range states affected by the terms of the agreement. This area spans Europe, parts of central Asia, the Middle East, and northern Africa.

In Czechia, the Ministry of the Environment regulates conservation practices of plant and animal life. The Act on Conservation of Nature and Landscape (Act No. 114/1992) contains the provisions for protecting wildlife including bats.

In the United States, some species of bats are protected on both the federal and state level. Environmental laws are generally the source of this information. Federal examples include the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 1531-1544) and the Fish and Wildlife Service Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 741-754a). States like Virginia prohibit the “transport, release, or relocat[ion]” of bats outside of the property on which they were found. (4VAC15-30-50.) Similarly, Maryland‘s Code of Administrative Regulations abides by a practice of exclusion, whereby permits are filed to humanely remove bats from homes and buildings. The permits are later compiled in an annual report. (COMAR 08.03.15.27.)

In the District of Columbia, the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is the official state mammal of the district, being one of seven species inhabiting the area. A smaller, similar species called the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) is depicted in figures 3 and 4 below (closely resembling the bat I spotted in Brno):

Had I been appropriately trained in the handling of bats, and had my new friend accompanied me on my return to the States for the explicit purpose of scientific research, I would have had to acquire a permit from both the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Even at home, our nocturnal neighbors are an important part of ecosystems nationwide. To conserve these creatures, the USFWS shares a mission with different partners, including the non-governmental organization Bat Conservation International and tribal groups like the Yakama Nation.

Hopefully, next time you encounter a bat, it is from a distance and with optimism for how these flying mammals work alongside us in our shared environments. As I’ve learned, this certainly includes castles.

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