Hawaiʻi Island conservation news: native wildlife and forests, wildlife rescue, invasive species, and how residents can help protect the island’s environment.
Bat Week: How to help the endangered ʻōpeʻapeʻa
The Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center in Kapaʻau is marking Bat Week, Oct. 24 to 31, with a call to protect the ʻōpeʻapeʻa, or Hawaiian hoary bat, the state’s only living native land mammal.
The endangered bats live on most of the main islands and eat flying insects such as moths and beetles. They’re threatened by habitat loss, disturbed roosts, barbed wire and collisions with structures. The center, which treats native birds and bats from across the state, typically cares for one or two of the bats a year.
What to do: If you find a downed or injured bat, don’t handle, feed or give it water. Call the center at 808-884-5000. You can also log sightings on the free iNaturalist app to help researchers map where the bats live.
