When you think of bats, what comes to mind? Blood-sucking, spooky creatures that will swarm you to death. 

In reality, these spooky creatures are in a very scary situation. 

There are eight different species of bats that can be found in Saskatchewan, but two species are federally endangered: the Little Brown Bat and the Northern Myotis Bat. 

The reason for the decline in the bat population is due to a fungal disease known as White Nose Syndrome. 

“It’s caused by a fungus that originally came over from Europe and it initially came to North America on the eastern coasts and then has slowly been working its way west and just this past year, literally just a couple months ago, they did some sampling and they've found it in Saskatchewan now,” said Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) Saskatchewan Conservation Coordinator Sarah Ludlow. 

According to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, 90 per cent of the Little Brown Bats population in Eastern Canada have been killed off due to the disease. 

Ludlow added that bats just get a bad rap because of the stereotypes around them. 

“I think a lot of people if they actually saw a bat up close, they would realize that they're really very cute, and they're not going to hurt you or get in your hair or anything like that, and they're really great to have around to eat lots and lots of insects,” she said. 

In order to help the bat population, Ludlow said there are a few things we can do. First, cats can be a danger to bats. She recommended, if you have an outdoor cat, to bring them inside around sundown when bats are the most active. 

Ludlow also recommended reducing the amount of pesticides we use as bats are natural pesticides that feed on insects. Finally, she said you can put up bat houses in your yard. These houses, similar to birdhouses, can be found in ready-built in hardware stores or you can build your own. 

Some interesting research on bat populations in Saskatchewan is also being currently being done by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. 

Acoustic surveys are being done to create an inventory of the bat species in Saskatchewan on NCC properties.  

The surveys entail using ultrasonic recording devices in areas such as bodies of water and forest trails where bats can be found and recording their calls. These calls are put on a sonogram which can then be used to determine the species of bat. 

The NCC has already surveyed 15 properties in the province and has documented all eight bat species including the Little Brown and Northern Myotis bats.