“Kharkov bat education program” is the most large-scale project concerning public awareness about bats in Ukraine to date. The aims of our project were to achieve the full dominance of bat-friendly information in media-space of Kharkov region, to start up regular bat rehabilitation work and to teach young generation about bats. We printed 42 000 pocket calendars, 15 000 labels with bats, 6500 brochures, leaflets and books for kids, 2 500 wall calendars and other information materials about bats. We started up regular bat rehabilitation work in Kharkov (including volunteers and young biologists) and first in Ukraine Bat rehabilitation center was organized in Feldman Ecopark (Kharkov).

More than 1000 bats were saved and released to the wild during implementation of the project. For the first time we organized so active bat educational work in schools of Kharkov region (more than 20 schools and young biologist clubs, more than 900 children covered). We organized 9 mass educational bat events in Kharkov (including media events, photo exhibition) with thousands of people involved as visitors. Two weeks-long field educational course about bat research for 40 students and young biologists from Kharkov took place in the National nature park “Gomilshansky lisy”. Website about bats in Kharkov and Kharkov region was created and more than 50 people visit it every day. We will continue our bat educational activity in Kharkov and all over Ukraine, because only when people won’t be afraid of bats and understand their value, bats will be in safety.