Bats are the second most speciose mammal order and provide vital ecosystem services. Their welfare is threatened by habitat loss, roost disturbance, and disease.
Wild bat welfare operates at the intersection of individual wellbeing and population-level conservation. White-nose syndrome causes bats to wake repeatedly during hibernation, depleting fat reserves and causing starvation — a welfare catastrophe affecting millions of individuals. Roost disturbance during maternity periods kills dependent pups through hypothermia and starvation when mothers are flushed. Wind turbines kill individual bats through barotrauma — a rapid, violent death. Protecting bat welfare means preserving roost sites, implementing turbine curtailment during peak bat activity periods, supporting white-nose syndrome research, and maintaining the insect-rich habitat bats depend on. Building and retaining old buildings with bat roosts is a direct welfare benefit.