UK bats face roost loss from building renovation and an emerging threat from white-nose syndrome - protecting roosts and supporting disease surveillance are critical welfare actions.
Bat welfare involves both individual welfare during roost disturbance and population-level welfare from habitat loss and emerging disease. Maternity roost disturbance causes acute welfare harm - mothers disturbed during pup-rearing may abandon young, causing starvation death. White-nose syndrome, not yet established in UK bat populations, has caused catastrophic population declines in North America from the welfare harm of disease-disrupted hibernation. Supporting roost protection, bat-friendly building practices, and disease surveillance protects both individual and population welfare for these ecologically important mammals.