Batman to the rescue

Forays put their Yorktown Road development on hold recently as they suspected it could be inhabited by bats. Before any construction took place they commissioned a bat handler to inspect the property. The Batman – as we prefer to call him – meticulously removed each and every tile from the roof to check whether there were bats living there.

Bats are directly threated by building works if they are present while the work is underway or if a demolition is taking place. If bats are disturbed at a particularly sensitive time of year (e.g. during hibernation in winter or when baby bats are born and raised in the summer), it can have hugely detrimental impacts on local bat populations.

Did you know?

Bats play an important role in many different environments worldwide. Many species of plants rely on bats to pollinate their flowers and others rely on bats to eat the insects; natures very own pest control. Many trees rely on bats to disperse their seeds, so bats are farmer’s helpers too!

Bats are classified as an indicator species and can act as an early warning to monitoring biologists about the state of the biodiversity of specific regions.

The construction industry and conservation bodies really need to work together and strive to create spaces where people live in harmony with nature and wildlife – just as Forays are doing.

After the thorough survey at Sandhurst, it was confirmed that there were no bats inhabiting the site which means the construction is now officially underway. Keep your eyes peeled for updates on this property and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for a few interesting bat facts.