African Bat Conservation News Volume 49
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African Bat Conservation News ISSN 1812-1268 Volume 49 July 2021 © ECJ Seamark (AfricanBats NPC), 2019 Above: Trident Leaf-nosed Bat (Cloeotis percivali) and an amazing acrobatic flyer who can undertake complete turn-overs in mid-flight, photographed at Madimatle Cave, near the Meletse Bat Research and Conservation Training Center, in Limpopo Province, South Africa Inside this issue Research and Conservation Activities Bat Photography event (16 February 2019) 2 June 2019 - Bat photography at Meletse Bat Research and Conservation Training Centre 2 Madimatle Cave Workshop (28-29 June 2019) 3 National Science Week 2019 (30 July – 1 August 2019) 3 Dikobe Molepo joins AfricanBats NPC as 2019/20 intern 3 th 10 Oppenheimer Research Conference (1-3 October 2019) 4 Introduction to bat biology, ecology and conservation – October 2019 4 Halloween 2019 Bat Photography Event 4 th 7 AfricanBats Bat Fieldworkers course, including Introduction course 5 Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (COP13 CMS, Gandhinagar India: 17 - 22 February 2020) 5 50/50 filming event 7 2020 Halloween Bat Photography event 8 Download and subscribe to African Bat Conservation News published by AfricanBats NPC at: www.africanbats.org The views and opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. Articles and news items appearing in African Bat Conservation News may be reprinted, provided the author’s and newsletter reference are given. African Bat Conservation News 2 July 2021 vol. 49 ISSN 1812-1268 Inside this issue (Continued): Observations, Discussions and Updates Book Review: Meredith Happold (2021) - Journey Among Animals 8 Recent literature Books 9 African Chiroptera Report 2019 9 Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Volume 9: Bats 9 African Chiroptera Report 2020 9 Journey Among Animals 9 Papers 10 Notice Board Conferences 65 THE NORTH AFRICAN CHIROPTERA - State of Knowledge and Perspectives 65 st 1 International Bat Research Online Symposium: Towards solving the wind energy-bat conflict 65 66 Call for contributions Research and Conservation Activities Bat Photography event (16 February 2019) Together with the landowners (Gordon and Cindy Hooper) we participated in a bat photography event at the Mamelodi II Cave, which included other invited guests. A total of eight individuals participated in experiencing bat photography. During this photography event discussions started around looking at sharing this experience with others as many individuals still have a fear of these night flying creatures. It was agreed that Halloween (31 October fell on a Saturday) was a perfect time to share this experience and have others capture images of bats flying in the wild. So, with the assistance and drive of Gordon Hooper the 2019 Halloween bat photography event took place (see below - “Halloween 2019 Bat Photography Event” on page 4). — Ernest C. J. SEAMARK, AfricanBats NPC. June 2019 - Bat photography at Meletse Bat Research and Conservation Training Centre A special trip focused on photography was organized at the Meletse Bat Research and Conservation Training Centre (13-20 June 2019). This trip was undertaken with Brock and Sherri Fenton together with Naas and Kobie Rautenbach and joined by AfricanBats NPC intern Mengjing Wei. Photography was undertaken at the Madimatle Cave, as well as over the water at the center, to capture images of bats drinking. To obtain more drinking opportunities, kiddies blow-up © ECJ Seamark (AfricanBats NPC), 2019 pools were set-up and filled with water (well in areas © ECJ Seamark (AfricanBats NPC), 2019 where the hosepipe could reach), but also where flash Above: Different bat species exiting the cave, Above: Mengjing Wei (AfricanBats intern), while still dusk together with Sherri and Brock Fenton at systems would not interfere with each other. As this Meletse. event was at the start of winter, there was a very narrow window when bats were active. But even this short window provided lots of opportunities to photograph flying or drinking bats. While during the day, images were examined, looking at possible ways in which lighting and/ or camera placements could be improved – to capture amazing behaviors. But as with most wild animals, once you think you have the answer, the bats decide to do something else. This can be frustrating, but also makes bat photography addictive. Having both Brock Fenton and Naas Rautenbach together to correct and fill-in gaps or missing background on stories from their many years of bat fieldwork collaboration in southern Africa, both funny and enlighten. Additionally, Brock always makes time to take any new or potential student (in this case Mengjing Wei) wanting to look at studying bats under his wing and share an amazing wealth of knowledge. — Ernest C. J. SEAMARK, AfricanBats NPC. © ECJ Seamark (AfricanBats NPC), 2019 Above: Bushveld Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus simulator) coming in to drink. Inside this issue / Research and Conservation Activities African Bat Conservation News ISSN 1812-1268 July 2021 vol. 49 3 Madimatle Cave Workshop (28-29 June 2019) The 28th June was a site meeting at the Madimatle Cave, with various stakeholders including representatives of the Traditional Healers Association. I was requested to describe the cave layout, and the conservation importance of the cave. The following day a more formal workshop took place where I presented a PowerPoint presentation that introduced the basics of “what is a bat” and hopefully dispelling some the misconceptions. Then leading to the importance of the Madimatle Cave, looking at the economic value of these bats not just for commercial agriculture, but also to rural livelihoods, how protection of the cave and its bats is linked to Global Sustainability Goals. This workshop was arranged by the landowners (Motjoli Real Estate), to bring together various role players to look at the development of a Management Plan for the cave. The focus is on having the cave recognized as an African Holy Site, and formally registered and protected as a Cultural Heritage Site. It is a very different point of view to see bats as a heritage asset and working on a plan that is heritage orientated, rather than a pure biodiversity protected area perspective. Future workshops, with smaller focus group, aimed to develop a more formal management plan were planned for 2020. Unfortunately, due to the global pandemic, these workshops had to be postponed to a later time. — Ernest C. J. SEAMARK, AfricanBats NPC. National Science Week 2019 (30 July – 1 August 2019) AfricanBats NPC had a stand to promote bats and their conservation importance at the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History for three days during National Science week. Not having interns or volunteers to aid with running the stand, Dr. Teresa Kearney took up the mantel to promote bat conservation, with the various school groups who attended. — Ernest C. J. SEAMARK, AfricanBats NPC. © ECJ Seamark (AfricanBats NPC), 2019 Above: Dr. Teresa Kearney explaining effects of climate change on species during National Science week 2019. Dikobe Molepo joins AfricanBats NPC as 2019/20 intern On the 1st September 2019 (until 31 August 2020), Ms. Dikobe Molepo joined AfricanBats NPC as a Department of Science and Technology - National Research Foundation (DST- NRF) intern. This is what she has to say about herself: “I have always had enormous love and curiosity for nature, and this led to my enrolling for a science degree at the University of Limpopo. I completed a BSc degree in Molecular and Life Sciences, BSc (Hons) and MSc degrees in Zoology all at the University of Limpopo. My post graduate training was on the phylogenetics and the phylogeography of birds, Spurfowls (BSc (Honors)) and the Southern boubous (MSc). In my years of studying, I had the most wonderful and challenging experiences, and I learnt many things and for this I will forever be grateful for the education I received. I worked as a laboratory assistant (helping 1st and 2nd year students) at the University of Limpopo during my post graduate studies. I was then awarded the opportunity to work as an NRF-DST intern in 2018 and I had the most rewarding 12 months of my life at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). I am currently given the chance to continue working as an NRF-DST intern for AfricanBats NPC and this for me means new experiences and more learning. I have already learned a little about bats and have had the chance to attend the ‘Introduction to bats’ course (Bat biology, ecology, conservation and identification) which I really enjoyed and appreciated. I am looking forward to learning more as an AfricanBats NPC intern”. During her time as an intern with AfricanBats NPC, Dikobe helped in the capturing of historical Above: Ms. Dikobe Molepo. bat banding data records into a database. Having these records digitized will allow for further investigations into this historical data sets. Then the global COVID pandemic interrupted our fieldwork program, where Dikobe had obtained all her necessary vaccinations for working with wild live animals. Hence her training and experience working with bats could not occur. But through our National lockdown in South Africa – Dikobe continued to work on capturing and cleaning of data at home. Even though in email and WhatsApp contact, there is a missing element of personal interactions, sharing of knowledge and experience – that is lost in mentoring remotely. Even though we did not have funding to support a PhD candidate for a bat project. Dikobe kept looking for opportunities to further her studies. Dikobe is currently registered for a PhD at the University of Stellenbosch, where she is looking at invasive biology where the title for her PhD is “The predatory behaviour and impacts of the invasive Vespula germanica (German wasp) on Apis mellifera (Honey bee) and other indigenous insect species in the Cape Floristic Region, Western Cape Province, South Africa.” — Dikobe MOLEPO and Ernest C.