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European Bat Night was organized for the 5th time in Szeged
on 24 August 2002. Each programme took place in the wildlife
park in Szeged. Beside the host there was another organizer,
the Bat Protection Section of Ferenc Kiss Csongrád
County Conservation Association (CSEMETE).
Since 1989 bat research and bat protection have been carried
out in Szeged and nearby. During this time many people participated
in countless mist nettings, and in placing out and controlling
hundreds of artificial bat boxes. Since 1998 the wider public
can surely count on the end summer programme about bats.
Just like everywhere in Europe, here in Szeged as well
the main goal of the European Bat Night is to bring people
nearer to these unique animals, to familiarize people with
the life of bats. There are many beliefs, fears connected
with these mysterious, flying mammals of the night. It is
no wonder that people are afraid of them, in the panel housing
estates in Szeged their colonies are present above the windows
or in the holes of balcony. During the time of Bat Night
for two months we got hundreds of phone calls in this issue.
People visiting Bat Night could familiarize themselves
with the life of bats on a morning and an afternoon lecture
from slide. There was an exhibition, which tried to show
everything about the protection and research of these animals.
People could see and catch bat skulls, bat guano (fresh
and fossil), bat boxes, bat detector, bat ring, bat catching
mistnets – and naturally living, real bats, too. During
this time the voices of bats in a bat detector could be
heard from a tape recorder. Children could participate in
different activities, they painted bat mask on their face
or made objects forming a bat. On the basis of acquired
information a crossword must have been solved as well. There
was a drawing among those who solved the crossword correctly,
they could win „bat” presents and family admission
cards to the wildlife park. The most interesting part of
the day came in the evening: the catching of some bats with
net and the showing of bat detectors.
Beside the 200 visitors the media as well came to this
event, as a result of this lot of people heard of this from
television, radio or from newspapers. To sum up this Bat
Night was the most successful in Szeged.
Paulovics Péter
Please click on the picture to enlarge...
Back to Archive 2002 and 2003
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