Bats play a key role in maintaining the health of the environment. Healthier bats mean a healthier world. They are the primary predator of nighttime insects. A single bat can eat up to 5,000 insects in a single night. This means farmers can use fewer pesticides, which means safer food. And all that bug-eating saves the American agricultural industry about $23 billion a year. Bats are also important pollinators and seed dispersers. They help repopulate plants, maintain forests, grow fruits like bananas and are the only pollinators of agave.
White-nose Syndrome is a devastating disease that is the number 1 threat to bats. It is caused by a fungus and has killed more than 6 million bats to date. Climate change contributes to loss of natural habitat and conservationists around the globe are extremely concerned that bats may be headed for extinction.