Why Does the Indiana Bat Need Protection?

The Indiana bat needs protection because they are in danger of becoming extinct. The peculiar habits of the Indiana bat make them particularly susceptible to harm from human contact.

In order to breed, the Indiana Bat uses different homes for the summer and winter. In winter, the bats stay in a few large caves. For example, researchers have estimated that 85% of known Indiana Bat populations winter in only seven caves in Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky. In the spring, however, Indiana Bats migrate from their caves and spend the summer in much smaller groups (50 to 150 adults), ordinarily under the loose bark of large dead trees. Their concentration in a few caves during the winter means that changes to one cave has the potential to impact a very large number of bats, and their tendency to roost during the summer in what humans may view as "useless" dead trees means that their summer habitat is not naturally protected by us. Additionally, bats rely on insects as a main source of food. When humans rely on pesticides to control insects, they may harm the bat's food source. Finally, female bats only produce one pup per year. Consequently, Indiana Bats recover slowly after suffering a major impact to their population. All of these factors have contributed to a decline in the Indiana Bat's population.

What Has Been Done to Protect the Indiana Bat?

On March 11, 1967, the US Fish and Wildlife Service designated the Indiana Bat as an "endangered" species under the Federal Endangered Species Act. The Federal Government lists a species as endangered when the best scientific evidence available indicates that a species is in danger of becoming extinct in all or a significant portion of its range.

The Endangered Species Act provides special legal protections to the Indiana Bat not afforded to other animal species. These special protections are intended to not only protect the remaining members of the species, but also to ensure recovery of the species so that special protections are no longer needed.

When a species is listed as endangered under the Act, the US Fish and Wildlife Service also must designate the "critical habitat" of the species. The critical habitat of a species is the area that needs to be managed in a special manner in order for the species to recover from its endangered status. In the case of the Indiana Bat, the Federal government has designated certain caves in Kentucky and Tennessee as critical habitat. The Endangered Species Act prohibits any Federal agency from taking any action that would adversely impact the species' critical habitat. In addition, once a species has been listed as endangered it is illegal for any person to "take" a member of the species. This means that it is unlawful to not only kill a member of the species, but also to harass, harm, trap or capture the species. Finally, the Endangered Species Act requires that all Federal agencies, in consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, use their powers to carry out the provisions of the Act, meaning that they must conduct themselves in a manner that not only refrains from harming endangered species, but furthers their recovery.