Wildlife

Wild Mammal: Bat Maternity Roost Protection

Bat maternity roosts are where female bats gather to give birth and raise their young, requiring legal protection from disturbance throughout the maternity season.

Key Facts

Maternity roosts form from May to August when female bats congregate to give birth
Common pipistrelles, lesser and greater horseshoe bats all form large maternity roosts
Disturbance causing roost abandonment can result in the death of dependent pups
Building works affecting roosts require a mitigation licence and must be timed outside the maternity season
Bat surveys before any building work must check for roost presence and species

Welfare Considerations

Maternity roost disturbance causes acute welfare harm through abandonment of dependent pups that cannot thermoregulate or feed independently. Female bats have invested significant energy in pregnancy and lactation - roost abandonment wastes this investment and kills vulnerable pups. Legal protection of roosts and mitigation requirements for affected buildings provide welfare protection at the critical maternity period.

What You Can Do

Commission bat surveys before any works to buildings or trees from March to October
Follow licensed mitigation requirements if roosts are affected by development
Create roost features as compensatory provision when roosts must be disturbed
Reduce external lighting near maternity roosts as light deters commuting bats
Report suspected illegal disturbance of bat roosts to Natural England