Bat colony finds shelter in residential building in Romanian city

A few hundred bats have set up their colony in a 10-storey building in downtown Zalau, a city in north-western Romania. The residents say the bats are bothering them especially in the evening, as some of them even reach the elevator, reports local Agerpres. Although the bats hibernate in winter, the rehabilitation work recently carried out at the building disturbed them, and thus they started to fly more often and be more visible to building residents. “Now that we finished the work, the bats are more relaxed. During the rehabilitation works, the constructors also covered their exit with a board, so now they had to pass through the building in order to get out. We’ve talked to the workers and they removed part of the board so now the bats can wander freely,” said Steliana Drule, the building manager, cited by local Agerpres. Unhappy with this situation, the building's dwellers went to local authorities for support, but they had no solution. Residents then contacted specialists from the Association for Bat Protection in Romania (APLR). The association’s president checked the situation and thought of a solution suitable for both residents and the bats, a species protected by Romanian and European legislation. As bats are now hibernating, he will return to Zalau in spring, with a device that he will place in the area where the bats dwell. This device will only allow bats to go out of their nest, preventing their return. The bats will thus have to find shelter elsewhere. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com (Photo source: Wikipedia)