On 29 September, the Department of Zoology and Parasitology of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences of VSU launched a series of popular science lectures by specialists from the “Our Nature” Voronezh Animal Welfare Centre. The lectures are devoted to interactions with wild animals.
The environmental education project started with a lecture by Elena Sherstyanykh, Director of the Centre. It was entitled “Bats: Monitoring, Conservation, and Rehabilitation”. In her presentation, Elena Sherstyanykh spoke about the species of bats in the Voronezh Region and why scientists should pay special attention to these animals.
A large part of the lecture was devoted to the treatment and rehabilitation of injured bats, which eventually end up in the Voronezh Animal Welfare Centre.
“Humans and bats have shared the planet for thousands of years. In very distant times, ancient people moved to live in caves, which were home to some species of bats. And in the era when humans learned to build their own homes, bats found shelter in their homes: in attics, towers, temple domes, shafts, cellars, and other structures. For bats, this neighbourhood has often had negative consequences. During the Middle Ages, due to their mysterious behaviour and unusual appearance, bats suffered all the consequences of superstition, tall tales, and prejudice. But even today, on the threshold of the third millennium, bats are still in danger. Meanwhile, these little animals bring enormous benefits to various ecosystems and humans,” said Evgeny Aksyenenko, associate professor from the Department of Zoology and Parasitology of VSU.
