Highland Yellow-shouldered Bat at the Bat Jungle, 21/04/14

Sturnira ludovici

I was looking at the website for this place and it looks interesting. Did you like it? How does the bat exhibit compare with other zoo bat exhibits that you have seen?

The actual enclosure from the bats' point of view was a pretty standard glass-fronted 'small bat' exhibit (such as Carollia, Glossophaga or Artibeus would be kept in at hundreds of zoos) - there was however an offshow cave den and a speaker system that plays out the (pitched-down) bat calls into the viewing corridor, and the whole thing was quite nicely finished. Of the six species, I'd only seen A. jamaicensis before (and that only once - at Miami), so it was always onto a winner with me there. What really made it though was the tour before the live bats. A very friendly Belgian chap with immense knowledge and enthusiasm took me round the little museum - with specimens, posts and interactive features (such as bathroom scales calibrated in terms of how many insects or how much nectar you'd need to eat if you were a bat, and listening tubes built into giant bat ears to give an impression of how a bat hears). He had a wealth of information - local data showing how climate change was affecting bat distribution, and the very latest data (almost live) on White Nose Syndrome in North America. After this, you get given a small torch and taken into the bat room - the guide spends 15 minutes pointing out the different species and talking you through them, then you are left alone for as long as you like (later tours permitting, I suppose!) to watch them. Flash isn't allowed but you can take as many pictures as you like using the torch (not always easy when you're the only one there but I managed it!).

The whole thing takes about an hour but a very well-invested hour, I'd say - certainly a far better experience than Zoo Simon Bolivar or Arenal Natura.

I visited a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the educational aspect of it. Small, but worth a visit.

Current species list;

Dermanura toltecus, the highland toltec fruit bat.

Carollia sowelli,

Platyrrhinus vittatus , bigger broad nosed bat or white striped bat

Artibeus jamaicensis, Jamaican Fruit Bat

Artibeus literatus, Big Fruit Bat

Anoura geoffroyi, Geoffroys tailless bat

Glossopghaga commissarissi & Glossopghaga soricini (only can be told apart by dentals)

7 out of 8 species were new to me. (I guess Sturnira ludovici is no longer kept)