Bats abroad and while traveling: are they dangerous, where do you encounter them, where can you see them?

What are bats?

• Bats are a group of over 1,400 flying mammals that are primarily active at night.
• In Europe, the animals often stay in caves and crevices of buildings during the day, but in more tropical areas, there are also many species that roost in trees.
• Many bats eat insects, but there are also species that specialize in flowers, nectar, or fruit.

What are flying foxes?

• Flying foxes are a group of large bat species that live in Asia, Africa, and Australia.
• The Asian fruit bat is one of the largest species, with a wingspan of over 150 centimeters.
• The departure of large colonies of bats and fruit bats is a well-known tourist spectacle in certain regions.
• Flying foxes play an important role in seed dispersal and pollinating plants.

Are bats dangerous?

• Although bats can carry various viruses, transmission to humans is rare.
• Only eating bats or spending a long time in a cave full of bats regularly leads to bat-to-human transmission.
• Injured bats and fruit bats can bite viciously if you try to help them.
• Vampire bats cause dangerous rabies infections in humans several times a year.
• There are only three Latin American species that drink blood like true vampires.
• The species that feed on mammal blood crawl across the ground toward their sleeping victim to take a small sip of blood.

Where is the best place to see millions of bats while traveling and abroad?

• Australia:
  • Mataranka Springs in Elsey National Park with more than 500,000 flying foxes and giant swarms of fruit bats
  • Cairns with large swarms of flying foxes
• Germany: the Spandau Citadel in Berlin offers you a view of tens of thousands of bats from a castle-like setting
• Philippines: Samal Island with more than 70 bat caves and more than 2 million Rousette fruit bats
• Israel: Gan Meir Park with 1 to 2 million Egyptian fruit bats
• Malaysia: Gunung Mulu Park on Borneo in Indonesia with millions of bats, more than 12 species, and beautiful viewing spots for when they fly out
• Thailand: the sea caves of Phang Nga Bay with the famous 'Bat Cave' where you can see the 'mere' thousands of bats hanging
• United States of America:
  • Bracken Cave in Texas with millions of Mexican free-tailed bats, it is said more than 20 million bats!
  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, where you can see 500,000 to 1 million African fruit bats flying
  • Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin (Texas) with 1.5 million African fruit bats flying out
  • Lubee Bat Conservancy in Gainesville (Florida) with a colony of fruit bats
• Zambia: Kasanka National Park with more than 5 million African fruit bats; you really won't believe your eyes

Where can you work, volunteer, or intern with bats abroad?

• A way to work with bats abroad is by helping count, observe, and protect bats and flying foxes as an intern researcher or volunteer.
• In animal rescue centers, particularly near large bat or fruit bat populations, weakened, injured, or orphaned bats can be cared for.