Page 66 - Thola Issue 17

64 Bat Interest Group of KZN
TOP LEFT: A Bats KZN volunteer helps Dr Wanda Markotter from the University of Pretoria to take blood from a fruit bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi) for serological studies.
TOP RIGHT: Wendy White explains safety procedures before entering a mine to undertake a survey.
ABOVE: George and Joyce Skinner were loyal members who spoke to hundreds of schoolchildren over their years of volunteering with the bat group.
the rehabilitators.
Over the years, we have visited
many parts of KwaZulu-Natal (and a few areas out of the province too!) to survey caves, mines, roosts, and other wild areas. We keep a database of roosts and bat captures to allow us to build up a picture of where bats live in our province and to allow us to predict where bats could occur. We survey several roosts, most notably the Shongweni tunnel, on a regular basis to ensure that the bat populations are healthy.
We have grown our electronic presence too: besides our website (www.batskzn.co.za), we have a Facebook page where members can post items.
Probably the most important contribution the bat group has made
is to get bats on the public agenda. Through our talks, publications, and training courses, we have made people aware of the importance of bats to our environment and we are now consulted by local, provincial, and national
authorities on bat matters. There is still much to do, however, and we always welcome new members with new ideas.
thola: VOLUME 17. 2014/15
FOR MORE DETAILS
Contact us on info@batskzn.co.za or on the bat group cell phone 082 445 0585 www.batskzn.co.za