Visitors can again see Edmonton Valley Zoo’s Jamaican bats when they return to their renovated display on Saturday. The colony of 92 bats was moved in February while a faux rock wall was installed in the Nocturnal Wing. “They can hook onto it and climb all around it like they would a cave in their natural habitat,” explained Travor Hickey, the animal care crew lead. “There’s some nice built-in ledges and stuff in it that we can use for feeding platforms, or we can put little pools of water in it (which makes for) more natural feeding and drinking opportunities for them.” The wing’s misting system was also replaced with a newer, quieter system that is customizable, so the zoo can mimic changing weather. The biggest change benefitting visitors is the installation of red lights, which will help visitors see the creatures better but not disturb their circadian rhythms. Jamaican fruit bats are native to Central America, the Caribbean, parts of Mexico and northern South America, where they serve an important role as pollinators and seed dispersers to their local ecosystem. Each weighs between 20 and 25 grams and can travel up to eight kilometres a night. Hickey hopes the exhibit helps people be less afraid of bats. “Bats are a much maligned species and so being able to see them up close in a safe, more controlled environment allows people to get over those fears and maybe learn something about them, which then helps them to have a bit more empathy for the species, or species in their own areas that are similar.” Each bat in the colony, which came from the Vancouver Aquarium in 2009, was checked by a veterinarian as the colony was moved. No interventions were needed.
