Bat Group
 

The Bat Group has helped the Monkey Sanctuary at Looe to secure funding for CCTV equipment to view a colony of lesser horseshoe bats breeding in their cellar (see article from the Monkey Sanctuary below). There are up to 120 bats there in the summer and this will give an excellent opportunity for the public to view bats in the roost and observe their natural behaviour without disturbance.

Another Nathusius' pipistrelle was picked up grounded in Penzance in October (sixth Cornish record). This one was a female and was released later after feeding up for a few days. It could be an autumn migrant or could indicate a possible roost somewhere in the area.

This record was eclipsed by a European free-tailed bat picked up in Helston on 7th March. This is the

first British record of this species. It was a male picked up starving after south-easterly winds - presumably an overshooting spring migrant from the Mediterranean area.

What will be the next new mammal on the British or Cornish list? Any suggestions?

Daniel Eva

Lesser horseshoe bats at the Monkey Sanctuary

The Monkey Sanctuary nestles in the wooded cliffs overlooking Looe Bay on the beautiful South coast. Since the 1960s, the grounds have been inhabited by a colony of woolly monkeys, and more recently, rescued capuchin monkeys, all native to the jungles of South America. However, the monkeys don't get the place to themselves. They monkeys' messy eating habits and the extensive wildlife gardens support numerous bird species and such rarities as the pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly.

Hidden away from prying eyes in the cellar of the house, another Sanctuary resident whiles away the daylight hours until dusk falls, providing the desired cloak of darkness and the opportunity to hunt.

A colony of lesser horseshoe bats have been living in the cellar for over a decade, attracted to the balmy surroundings created by our boiler. Females gather in large numbers in the summer to have their babies.

By the end of August over a hundred bats can be counted fluttering and swerving around the enclosures, before zooming purposefully off into the fields beyond.

A new project, kindly funded by Mammal Trust UK, is now going to enable our visitors to gain a unique insight into the secretive world of one of Britain's most endangered mammals. A camera in the cellar that uses infrared lights transmits live footage to the new 'Bat Cave'. Here, visitors can spy on the bats, who, blissfully unaware, continue their daily business of grooming and feeding their babies. The 'Cave' is also full of fascinating bat facts, so no one can go home without some batty information.

The Sanctuary is open from Sunday to Thursday, 11am to 4.30pm until the end of September and during October half-term. Entrance is free for Bat Group members.

Gemma Thorn
The Monkey Sanctuary


Lesser horseshoe bat. Photo: Mike Frost