Is Batman a Bad Man?

All European bat species feed on insects, some additionally on spiders. Each species has its own favorite prey. The common pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus), for example, prefers to eat mosquitoes – up to 1,000 per night! It is hard to imagine the mosquito plagues that would exist without bats. They also serve as so-called bioindicators: the more bat species and individuals there are in an ecosystem, the healthier that ecosystem is. After all, the quality and diversity of plants and water bodies are reflected in the number of diverse insects – and thus also in those of the bats. Conversely, conservation measures targeted at bats simultaneously benefit many other animal and plant species.

Unfortunately, almost all bat species are threatened, all European ones are under strict protection. There are many risks for bats, foremost among them are wind power, road traffic, and domestic cats. When planning wind farms and new highways, major preliminary surveys must now be carried out to avoid building in hunting grounds of protected bats or disturbing winter roosts and maternity roosts. Wind turbines are operated with a so-called bat-friendly operating algorithm that automatically shuts down when flight conditions ideal for bats are measured. Only the danger posed by domestic cats has not yet been solved. They catch bats not as a food source, but because of their hunting instinct. Therefore, they snatch many more animals than they would in the wild. They often do not kill their prey directly, but play with them, eventually leaving the injured animals to die. Particularly pregnant and nursing mother animals and inexperienced young animals are their most common victims as they are slower and less agile when flying. But unfortunately, these animals are exactly those that ensure the continuity of the population.