In 2014 1 educational and 3 research projects were realized due to grant support of European and American nature conservational organizations. The expeditions have covered a vast region from Arkhangelsk region (Russia) to Batumi (Georgia) and Edirne (Turkey) cities. The projects were directed to the study of bat migration ways, estimation of the status of the largest and rarest bat species of the Europe – Great noctule, and to the study of the fungi in the caves where bats hibernate. We were able to visit such countries as Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, but the main researches were carried out on the territory of Ukraine, namely, of Kharkov and Kharkov region.
Batumi botanical garden, Georgia
Cave “Dupnitsa”, Turkey
Sunrise over the Pinega river, Archangelsk region, Russia
Great noctule
In 2014 the bat specialists of The Bat rehabilitation centre (BRC) took part in 3 scientific conferences and International summer school (Berlin, Germany). On the conference on bats in Poland BRC was awarded by the prize for the best report in the section “Bat conservation”.
Alona Prylutska and Ksenia Kravchenko at Conference on bats in Poland
During last year 7 scientific publications were published (3 of them – papers in scientific journals). Scientific-research theme “The study of environmental conditions and population structure of bats (Chiroptera, Mammalia) in East Europe” was registered in Ukrainian national registration scientific bureau.
The master thesis “Winter activity of common noctule (Nyctalus noctula) colony in the building of government of the Lower Silesia in Wroclaw” was defended by K.A. Kravchenko in Wroclaw University (Poland); the PhD thesis of A.S. Prylutska “Summer bat population in forests of the central part of the East-European plain: inventory and monitoring using mist nets” was submitted for defense to the Institute of Zoology (Kyiv, Ukraine).
For the work in BRC 10 young naturalists are recruited. For the year 5 research works of schoolchildren were prepared. The young naturalist Elena Rodenko won the first place in the prof. P.A. Manteyfel competition for the best scientific-research work in the zoology and nature conservation field (Moscow zoo) with her work “The rehabilitation of bats in Kharkov in winter”.
Young naturalists of Feldman Ecopark in Liptsy mines, Kharkov region
In schools and libraries of Kharkov 20 lectures were carried out, more than 500 children from junior schoolchildren to high school students visited it. In June-July the BRC specialists carried out the field practice for young naturalists Feldman Ecopark and students of biological department of V.N. Karazin Kharkov National University. The pilot copies of “Guide of study of bats for naturalists and students” were printed and presented to young naturalists circle in Balaklea, Izum, Pokotilovka and Krasnokutsk (Kharkov region).
Lecture about bats in one of Kharkov schools
Four mass educational actions were carried out: “The solemn release of bats in Feldman Ecopark», «Bat night in Feldman Ecopark», exposition of BRC in “Landau center” and “Scientific fun in Kharkov”. In general more than 1000 guests visited these actions. The BRC specialists were invited to the festival “Bat night” in Belorussia, organized by «Ахова птушак Бацькаўшчыны». Later the agreement on cooperation between Feldman Ecopark and «Ахова птушак Бацькаўшчыны» and also between national natural park (NNP) “Gomylshansky lisy” and NNP “Slobozhansky” (Kharkov region) were signed.
The solemn release of bats in Feldman Ecopark
Alona Prylutska and Anna Suvorova at the festival “Bat night” in Belorussia
More than 42000 of pocket calendars, 2000 wall calendars for 2014 and 2015, 6000 stickers, 1000 children’s coloring books, 2000 brochures on bats, 1500 brochures on the outcomes of the work of BRC were printed, 50 T-shirts, 300 balls and 100 icons with bat symbols were made.
More than 1000 bats were passed in BRC in 2014 in Kharkov. In winter 2013-2014 more than 650 specimens of 5 species were saved. The animals were passed in BRC from all the Kharkov, Kharkov region and Poltava city. The most of all bats were saved from “Derzhprom” building (66%), apartment houses of Kharkov city departments: Saltovka, Kholodnaya gora, Alekseyevka (25%), the main building of V.N. Karazin Kharkov National University (9%).
The work of BRC of Feldman Ecopark has attracted the attention of international environmental organizations, so three letters of thanks addressed to A.B. Feldman for the organization and support of BRC from Germany, Poland, Belorussia and Georgia were received.