Greater and lesser horseshoe bats depend on traditional roost sites in buildings and caves, making roost disturbance through renovation and development a critical welfare threat.
Roost disturbance causes direct welfare harm to horseshoe bats. Disturbance of maternity roosts during the breeding period causes mother bats to abandon pups that are too young to fly, resulting in starvation and death of the young. Renovation work that inadvertently seals bats into cavity spaces causes deaths from entrapment. Cold disturbance during hibernation forces bats to rouse prematurely, depleting fat reserves that they depend on for winter survival. The welfare of individual bats is directly linked to the protection of specific roost sites that have been used for generations. Sensitive building renovation that accommodates bat roosts avoids these welfare impacts.