Bats are among the most ecologically important and misunderstood mammals, facing significant welfare threats from persecution, disease, and habitat loss.
Bat welfare is threatened by both deliberate persecution — roost destruction, poisoning — and collateral damage from wind energy development and fungal disease. White-nose syndrome, caused by a fungus introduced from Europe, has devastated North American bat populations, causing mass mortality events in cave hibernacula. Individual bats found grounded are often sick and require specialist rehabilitation — they should never be handled without thick gloves.