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Assessment launches to appraise UK wildlife and forest crime legislation and enforcement

Huddersfield man admits stealing 200 wild bird eggs

Police and NWCU find 80 alligator heads in West Midlands house

Police Scotland launch third phase of Year-Long Wildlife Crime Campaign focusing on Bat Crime

Poachers handed hefty fines after they admitted hunting with dogs in Wiltshire

Court appearance in North Yorkshire for men charged with poaching and COVID-19 offences

Men stopped by North Yorkshire police poaching patrols sent home with COVID-19 penalty notices

Buzzard found shot in Horseheath, Cambridgeshire

Milton Keynes man pleads guilty to offences relating to rare animal skull

Six arrested on suspicion of hare coursing offences in Hungerford

Hare coursers drove over farmer’s crops in Cambridgeshire, causing hundreds of pounds of damage

New lead for National Wildlife Crime Unit

Carlisle men given Covid-19 Fixed Penalty Notices and investigated for poaching offences

Wiltshire Police's quick response after reports of two separate hare coursing incidents

Nottinghamshire Police begin investigation into killing of wild birds

New Scottish wildlife crime investigator appointed for NWCU

Deer hunter in PSNI who had carcasses in cold-room at home fined £6k

Another satellite-tagged hen harrier has disappeared in the Yorkshire Dales

Police patrols stepped up to tackle poachers travelling into North Yorkshire

PAW Northern Ireland launches Badger Persecution Report 2016-2018


Home / How do we prioritise? / Current UK priorities / Bat Crime

Bat Crime

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Bats play an important role in many environments around the world. In the UK, some bats are ‘indicator species’, because changes to these bat populations can indicate changes in aspects of biodiversity. Bats might suffer when there are problems with insect populations (because our bats feed on insects) or when habitats are destroyed or poorly managed (for example, some bats only live in large woodlands).

While some people think bats are pests, some bats are actually pest controllers eating thousands of insects every night. UK bats won’t bite you or suck your blood – but they will help clear the air of bloodsucking insects!

All bats in the UK are insectivores – they only eat insects. Insect-eating bats are great for keeping bugs away from crops, as well as the places where the bats roost.

Pipistrelle batSadly, many bat species around the world are vulnerable or endangered due to factors ranging from loss and fragmentation of habitat, diminished food supply, destruction of roosts, disease and hunting or killing of bats.

In the UK, bat populations have declined considerably over the last century. Bats are still under threat from building and development work that affects roosts, loss of habitat, the severing of commuting routes by roads and threats in the home including cat attacks, flypaper and some chemical treatments of building materials. Other potential threats can include wind turbines and lighting if they are sited on key bat habitat on near roosts.

Information taken from BCT website

To read all about the work of the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) click here

Bat Persecution Priority Delivery Group newsletter

Inspired by colleagues in both the badger and poaching wildlife crime priority delivery groups the bat priority group decided to produce bat-crime newsletters on an occasional basis. The newsletters are intended to bring news as demand dictates and include information relating to recent investigations, prosecutions and other outcomes along with other information that hopefully will be of interest. The newsletter is produced by Pete Charleston, Investigations Officer, Bat Conservation Trust on behalf of the bat Priority Delivery Group:

Bat PDG newsletter – issue 3 – June 2016

Bat PDG newsletter – issue 2 – Nov 2015

Bat PDG newsletter – issue 1 – April 2015

  • Bat Persecution media

    • Police Scotland launch third phase of Year-Long Wildlife...
      February 25, 2021
    • London building company handed largest ever fine in relation...
      December 11, 2020
    • New Bat Conservation Trust Wildlife Crime Project Officer
      June 2, 2020
    • Derbyshire developer who bulldozed bungalow knowing...
      May 25, 2020
    • Man sentenced for destroying a bat roost in Shaftesbury
      October 15, 2019
    • Conviction for bat crime in Cumbria
      April 30, 2019
    • London company fined £18,000 for illegally destroying...
      April 9, 2019
    • Thames Valley Police bat crime conviction
      February 18, 2019
    • Bat Crime Conviction in York
      September 28, 2018
    • Conviction of bat roost destruction in Worcestershire
      May 9, 2018
    • Kent conviction on three counts of bat roost destruction
      April 30, 2018
    • Two men sentenced for destroying bat roosts in Dorset
      February 22, 2018
    • Development Company plead Guilty to Bat Roost Destruction...
      January 24, 2018
    • Havant pair fined for destroying roost of protected...
      October 23, 2017
    • Convictions for bat crime at Leamington Spa Magistrates...
      May 9, 2017
    • First Proceeds of Crime Act order for destroying bat roost
      March 8, 2016
    • Conviction for bat crime ~ Worcestershire
      February 12, 2016
    • Fined: property developers that illegally destroyed...
      September 17, 2015
    • Conviction for bat crime
      August 4, 2015



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