«Night of Bats» was held at KBSU

September 21th at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov hosted an unusual environmental action dedicated to the International Night of Bats. The holiday exists since 1997 and is celebrated in more than 30 countries of the world. In 2022, the night of the bats fell on September 20th.
The date of the celebration of the event was not chosen by chance. After all, it is at this time that the migration (relocation) of bats for wintering begins, where they reproduce before going into hibernation
The organizers of the action at KBSU are the REC «Botanical Garden» of the KBSU, the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the KBSU with the support of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the KBR, the Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories, the interregional public environmental movement «Ecology — Life».

Milana Hashkulova, head of the wildlife museum of the Botanical Garden REC, specialist in bats, noted:

«The main goal of the event is to draw public attention to the problems of bats and the protection of wintering places, as well as to debunk the myths around animals, which many people experience unjustified superstitious fear, considering them vampires, as well as carriers of diseases, in particular coronavirus».

The action was attended by a leading specialist — an expert of the department for the protection, reproduction and use of wildlife and their habitats of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the KBR Svetlana Shaposhnikova, head of the department of general biology, geoecology and molecular genetic foundations of living systems Anzor Paritov, member of the Public Chamber of the KBR, Galina Kyarova, researcher at the Institute of Ecology of Mountain Territories of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Marita Hatsukova, specialist in electronic databases of the REC «Botanical Garden» of the KBSU, students of the KBSU Institute of Ecology and Biology, teaching the Lyceum for Gifted Children of the State Budget Educational Institution «DAT «Sunny City» of the Ministry of Education of the KBR.
As part of the celebration of the International Night of Bats, a scientific and educational seminar was held, where the guys presented research works on the ecological and faunal analysis of bats in Kabardino-Balkaria and adjacent territories, the use of ecological and physiological features of bats in the fight against viruses, the evolution of the karyotype of smooth-nosed bats mice of the North Caucasus.
The guests were pleasantly surprised by the knowledge of the guys, who revealed many of the unique abilities of bats, and also suggested ways to preserve them. In addition, on the eve of the Botanical Garden of KBSU, houses for bats made by the hands of schoolchildren were placed.