Explore bat tourism around the world – The Philippines' Guinness Record cave is home to 1.8 million bats!

▲The Guinness World Record bat cave in the Philippines houses up to 1.8 million bats. (Photo / Taipei City Bat Conservation Society)

Reported by Lin Yuling / Taipei

Bats are actually closely intertwined with our lives. Aside from their ecological contributions, they also symbolize "good fortune" in culture. The Taipei City Bat Conservation Society will hold a"Natural Tourism of Bats"lecture, sharing eco-experiences of exploring bats around the world, including Australia, Borneo, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, the United States, and Taiwan, all of which have traces of these creatures.

The organizers stated that many countries offer nature-based tourism related to bats. This event will introduce several global destinations for bat-related natural tourism through lectures, including Australia, Borneo, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, the United States, and Taiwan, allowing those interested in learning about or exploring bats to gain a deeper understanding.

Among them, Samal Island in the Philippines is home to a massive Guinness World Record bat cave, roughly the size of three three-dimensional basketball courts, yet it hosts approximately 1.8 million bats inside. It’s hard to imagine such an enormous number crammed into this small cave. The bats huddle close together, yet still leave gaps for their companions. A sudden glance might send shivers down your spine.

▲Present day (Photo / Taipei City Bat Conservation Society)

The Taipei City Bat Conservation Society has said that bats are actually closely connected to our lives, appearing every evening and returning to rest only at dawn. Ecologically, bats help us by consuming vast numbers of mosquitoes and pollinating certain plants. Culturally and historically, bats also represent one of the “Five Blessings” in traditional Chinese symbolism.

However, over the years, urban development and changes in lifestyle have made bats unfamiliar to many people. People are largely unaware of whether there are still bats in their surroundings or what species exist. “Everyone has forgotten about them, even come to fear them, and as a result, understands them less and less.” The society hopes to use various lectures to share knowledge about bats, giving people the opportunity to get to know this “familiar yet strange” animal better.

Bat Lecture – Natural Tourism of Bats
March 12, 2016 (Saturday)
14:00 ~ 16:00
Zhongshan Civic Hall / No. 128, Section 2, Zhongshan N. Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Registration URL:http://batinfo.kktix.cc/events/2016battravel