'Misunderstood'

12x12 Acrylic on Canvas
 
Bats have long gotten a bad rap, from Vampire bats forever associated with Dracula, to fruit bats blamed for SARS-CoV-2. Bats are common carriers of over 60 zoonotic viruses that can infect humans, though these virus are generally spread via animals raised for human food consumption. There are over 1,400 individual species of bats which actually play an important environmental role throughout the world. Like bees, they are responsible for pollination, and bats also help control pests by eating insects. Bat Conservation International (BCI) has identified 35 critically endangered bat species; the effects of uranium mining (bats use the mines as roosts) and increased mortality rates due to wind turbines are just some of the threats these animals face.