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Do bats spook you? Well, bats in Newfoundland and Labrador are probably feeling pretty spooked themselves in recent years.
A deadly disease is ravaging the population, and scientists are trying to better understand this species before it’s too late.
CBC News reporter Mark Quinn had a particular interest in the subject this season and thought it would make an interesting show for Land & Sea.
While there might be a lot of fear surrounding bats, the little mammals are actually really important for our environment.
Mark interviewed Jessica Humber to find out exactly why. Humber is a wildlife scientist with the provincial government.
WATCH | Watch the full episode of Land & Sea:
One of the big benefits of bats is they contribute to insect control.
“They can easily eat half of their body weight and insects each night. And pregnant females can eat their full body weight each night and insects,” said Humber.
“So, for a lot of the pests that impact our agricultural sector and forestry sector, they are excellent natural controls of outbreaks of those insect species.”
Bats are elusive because they feed at night. That made it tricky to feature them in a Land & Sea story. To catch a glimpse of the tiny animals, Mark, along with video producer Paul Pickett and audio technician Nathan Wells, followed Jessica Humber to Salmonier Nature Park where small wooden houses host sleeping bats inside.
Jessica and her colleagues aim to catch bats, weigh them and tag them with tracking devices.
When the sun goes down and it’s coming on dusk, the bat dance begins.
And, as you’ll see in our story Bats on the Brink, the scene is a Halloween lovers dream.
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