The artificial shelter is meant to protect the animals from the White Nose Fungus

Sep 24, 2012 13:34 GMT  ·  By
Greenheads in Tennessee provide bats with man-made cave, hope to keep them free of diseases
   Greenheads in Tennessee provide bats with man-made cave, hope to keep them free of diseases

According to several reports released by conservationists in charge of keeping a close eye on the bat population of the US, as many as 6 million such animals have so far died in this country alone as a result of their getting affected by a so-called White Nose Fungus.

Sources explain that this disease changes the behavior of bats, forcing them to wake up during their periods of hibernation and therefore making them prone to various other health risks.

Hoping to deal with this issue, the American state of Tennessee now provides bats with an artificially created cave, which supposedly helps keep the White Nose Fungus at bay.

The total costs for this conservation project amounted to about $300,000 (€231,089), and now that construction activities are done with, environmentalists are using an ultrasonic sound recording in order to guide the bats towards their new home.