The BC Community Bat Program is seeking information from folks with roll-up blinds or power awnings outside their house or offices.
According to a news release, the program has received some reports of bats being attracted to the shutter housing or box of these types of shading mechanisms, which has resulted in some bats being injured. As a result, the program is actively seeking data to understand the prevalence.
“The BC Community Bat Program is actively seeking assistance to assess how common this is and address it accordingly. Whether you have noticed bats or not, we would love your help. No data is still very important data,” the release reads.
Danielle Dagenais, a regional co-ordinator for the program, said these blinds or awnings are typically on the south or west side of homes to create shade.
“Over the last few years, we’ve been getting reports in southern B.C. of bats being attracted to the shutter housing or box into which the blinds or awnings roll into. Bats are accidentally and unintentionally getting squished or injured when the blinds are rolled up and then they fall out dead when the blinds get rolled down,” Dagenais said in the release.
If it is determined through data collection that these incidents are frequent, then the program intends to engage manufacturers to explore design changes.
“To address this, a potential solution involves modifying the awning box design by incorporating features like broom bristles or a cap to seal the entry gap, effectively preventing bats from entering,” reads the release.
According to the program, nine of 15 species of bats in B.C. are at risk of disappearing. Another threat bats face is white-nose syndrome.
If you have or haven’t seen bats in these types of blinds or awnings in the last few years, please get in touch with the BC Community Bat Program by visiting its website, emailing [email protected], or calling 1-855-922-2287 ext. 11.
