Environment
The Cities Swooping in to Save Bats
As the deadly White-Nose Syndrome continues to spread, advocates in Milwaukee, Austin, Detroit, D.C., and more are raising awareness and protecting these much-maligned mammals.
At dusk—under clouds intermittently spitting a soft drizzle—about 60 of the diehards remained. They had not been dissuaded by the day’s long lines, the “ick factor” of being close to “creepy critters,” or looking through microscopes at poop.
Abuzz with anticipation, they watched as biologists from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources hoisted a net high into the tree branches alongside Milwaukee’s Mitchell Park Lagoon. Darkness fell, and a small brown bat—about the size of a child’s palm—was caught. As biologists wearing headlamps and gloves rushed over to extract it, some in the crowd exclaimed: “I hope he’s not hurt!” “Oh, poor little guy. He’s probably terrified!”