his issue of Bats comes off the press at a bittersweet time for Bat Conservation International (BCI). This Spring, we lost one of America’s leading champions of bat conservation, J. David Bamberger, who passed away at the age of 97 on his beloved Selah Ranch in the Hill Country of Texas. He was Founder and Chairman of Church’s Fried Chicken, served for many years on the BCI Board, and was instrumental in the acquisition and stewardship of Bracken Bat Cave, the largest concentration of wild mammals on Earth. Like so many of us, he dedicated himself to the protection of these amazing creatures and, remarkably, created on Selah the world’s first human-made bat cave. Initially called “Bamberger’s Folly” by the press, it is now home to more than 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) and is known by the name he coined for it, “The Chiroptorium.”

As we celebrate the Bamberger legacy, we commence a transformational era in the life of BCI with the development of a bold and visionary strategic path to 2030. The plan, now in its final stages, will surely be a beacon of hope for bat conservation throughout the world.

ith tiny thumbs that are barely visible, the smoky bat (Amorphochilus schnablii) is a distinctive-looking and memorable bat, according to Melquisedec Gamba-Rios, Ph.D., BCI’s Regional Director, Latin America & Caribbean.

“It made me smile when I saw it for the first time. It’s a hilarious bat,” he says. “The thumbs are very reduced, so they’re barely visible.”

This rare bat is a member of an extremely small family with just two members, both Endangered insectivores native to South America. The smoky bat and its relative, the thumbless bat (Furipterus horrens), are both known to tuck their small thumbs into the front wing-edge, which is believed to make them more aerodynamic.

eventy percent of the Endangered Hildegarde’s tomb bat (Taphozous hildegardeae) population in Kenya is concentrated in just two locations: the Kaboga and Makuruhu caves that are located near Watamu, a rapidly developing tourist destination, and the Tswaka Three Giant Sisters Caves outside rural Fikirini Village.

In these locations, as well as throughout coastal Kenya, Endangered bats are threatened by habitat loss, deforestation, and urban expansion, as well as disturbance of cave roosts. To protect these bats, BCI has spent the last three years building relationships with local partners and community members to create positive change for bats and people.

s dusk settles over rolling hills, quiet valleys, and remote landscapes, countless bats take flight, navigating the night sky with astonishing precision. For BCI and partners, each wingbeat represents years of dedicated research, careful planning, and hands-on conservation. Over the past five years, BCI’s 2020–2025 strategic plan has guided initiatives that not only protect bats and their habitats but also generate new scientific insights and cultivate communities as long-term stewards of the environment.

From protecting critical roosts to restoring degraded landscapes, advancing research, tackling emerging threats, and inspiring global audiences, BCI’s recent work showcases the power of long-term strategy, rigorous science, and community-driven conservation.

Researchers used data from a network of automated radio telemetry towers for tracking wildlife, known as Motus towers, to track a bat that was recorded at Bracken Cave all the way to Las Cavernas de Santa Eulalia in Chihuahua. Bats that visit both sites are also believed to visit another cave, La Cueva de la Boca in Nuevo León. While researchers are working to learn more about the bats’ movement patterns, BCI scientists say that conservation efforts must be designed to consider a migratory landscape that includes Bracken Cave, as well as its two “sister” roosts in Mexico.

In N’Zérékoré, Guinea, a sudden influx of straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) once sparked fear, suspicion, and even plans for eradication. Today, that same colony is helping reshape how the community understands bats.

The shift in attitude didn’t happen overnight, but the bats’ arrival did. “There had been no previous records of large aggregations of Eidolon in this town until last year,” says Natalie Weber, BCI Strategic Advisor for Endangered Species in Africa. She notes that the species is migratory but typically returns to the same seasonal roosts each year. The community was not only surprised, but also wary of their new neighbors.

Deep in the lowland forest of her native Cameroon, BCI Student Scholar and doctoral student Aïcha Gomeh-Djame is breaking new ground as the first person to study bats in Lobéké National Park. The park is part of a biologically rich transborder UNESCO World Heritage Site that also includes protected areas in the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

Data on bats in Lobéké were virtually nonexistent prior to Gomeh-Djame’s research, which involved catching about 350 bats in Lobéké that represented a potential 36 different species. She also succeeded in making the first recordings of bat echolocation in the park. “The primary aim of the project was to quantify the impact of roads on the bat diversity, relative abundance, and functional guilds of bats in Lobéké National Park,” she says.

razil has more than 30,000 known caves, and many of these underground caverns are home to bats, including Endangered species and large colonies. To learn more about these subterranean bat homes and find out how to protect particularly important ones, BCI and partners took inventory of 113 caves, including 52 that were undergoing this process for the first time. The team recorded 33 bat species from seven bat families and confirmed six new hot caves. They also identified threats, including deforestation, unregulated tourism, and vampire bat control efforts impacting other species.

BCI and partners are working with the National Center for Cave Research and Conservation (CECAV/ICMBio) within the National Action Plan for Cave Conservation (PAN Cavernas) to implement actions focused on protecting bats, including testing the first bat gate installed in a Brazilian cave, and to update Brazil’s Red List of Endangered Species. The aim now is to support the creation of protected areas, and the development of protocols to minimize negative impacts on bat populations.

teph Dodson didn’t start out in conservation. Her first career was in corporate live events, but by her mid-30s, she found herself burned out and searching for something more meaningful. Today, she volunteers at Bracken Cave while pursuing a degree in conservation and wildlife biology, with plans to focus on education and outreach. We spoke with Dodson about her path to conservation and her work at Bracken Cave.

Growing up, I loved Steve Irwin and wildlife, but I ended up owning a business doing corporate live events. By the beginning of 2024, I was miserable. I was very successful and making good money but needed to make a change. I realized I had been traveling the world to do wildlife stuff and thought to myself, “Well, what if I just made that a career?”