Filenews 12 January 2021 - by Pavlos Neophytou
This year, the annual recording of bats wintering in abandoned galleys and buildings in Troodos National Forest Park was completed. The results shall be entered in the national database and evaluated with a view to better managing this rare and beneficial category of animals.
In a statement to associatednews, Forest Department official Haris Nikolaou noted that the high temperatures prevailing this year did not favour the wintering of the night, resulting in a number of them migrating to other countries to fall into hibernation. This phenomenon, he added, is not a cause for concern, since based on data from the counts of other years, the numbers of the worst are kept at constant levels.
According to Mr. Nikolaou, these recordings are carried out by experienced officers of the Department of Forests, while all the security measures needed to work in such dangerous environments are taken. As he pointed out, in order to avoid any accidents and harassment of the animals that use them, entry to abandoned galleys and buildings is prohibited.
In the spring they go down to the coast
The next recording will be made in the spring and specifically in beach caves, since the same species and individuals, which each winter hibernate in abandoned galleys and buildings in Troodos National Forest Park, around April will begin to descend to the coast for breeding, which begins around May. The results of the replication records are re-registered in the national database.
What are they at risk from?
In Cyprus we find 19 species of night bats and 11 of them are currently wintering in Troodos Forest Park. They are protected species, stressed Mr. Nikolaou, which are mainly threatened by the reckless use of pesticides – insecticides. They are also at risk of disturbance of their wintering and reproduction sites by humans.
