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By Brady Bateman

Eco Research

Researchers studying bats in P.A. National Park

Jul 16, 2019 | 9:13 AM

A new research project recently launched at Prince Albert National Park serves to study an animal rarely seen by park visitors – bats.

Little Brown Bats, or Little Brown Myotis, and up to five other bat species are known to inhabit the region. The study was created due to the Government of Canada’s Species at Risk Act emergency order designed to protect three species of bat with the Bats in Buildings and the Emergency Listing Order for the Little Brown Myotis, the Northern Myotis and the Tri-coloured Bat.

“We wanted to find out more about what bats we have in the park and where they might be living,” Fiona Moreland, ecology team leader for Prince Albert National Park said. “We know we have little brown bats because they have been very active in the community hall, but we don’t know what all species we have here. We want to find out what other habitats they might be using.”

Moreland noted little brown bats and big brown bats have been listed as endangered species because of a disease known as white nose syndrome, which has decimated bat colonies in eastern Canada. The disease has not yet spread to Saskatchewan but is expected to do so in upcoming years.

“We want to know how we can protect the bats we have, and to do that we need to know what kind of bats we have and where they are living,” Moreland said. “What we’ve done is hire a bat specialist from Alberta to do a number of tests to study the bats.”

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There are three primary tests being used to study bats in the area according to Moreland.

Researchers are surveying park buildings, specifically older log buildings, while looking for bat guano. Large, fine nets are also being spread over open areas to capture bats. Once entrapped, researchers quickly free the bats, and identify the species. The third technique is acoustic bat detectors which will remain in place for several months.

Wildlife biologist Cory Olson has led the group conducting the bat inventory, and told paNOW the importance of the work.

“We record information about species, body measurements, and reproductive information and then they are released again,” Olson said.

“Bats aren’t like other small mammals. They live very long, the oldest we know of in Western Canada lived to be 39 years old. They also reproduce very slowly, mostly only giving birth to one pup per year, meaning they are very susceptible to human induced population decline.”

Olson added destroying a single roost, which could contain up to 1,000 bats, could take dozens of years to grow the population back, which would lead to an increase in insects in the area.

He also noted bats play a key-role in many ecosystems, with little brown bats being able to eat their weight in mosquitoes in a single night of foraging. She also noted that if you happen to come across bats to leave them be, or to contact someone who can safely remove them from the area.

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Brady.bateman@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TheDigitalBirdy