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Want to learn more about bats? Toronto and Region Conservation Authority does too!

May 3, 2018

Threats Facing Ontario Bats

You really could go batty when you learn about the decline of Ontario’s native batsThe news is alarming.  Since 2012, four of Ontario’s eight bat species (little brown myotis, eastern small-footed myotis, northern myotis and tri-coloured bat) have been listed as endangered in the province mainly as a result of white-nosed syndrome.  Three of these bat species are also listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

White-nosed syndrome is caused by a fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which grows on the bodies of hibernating bats causing dehydration.  Thirsty bats are roused from hibernation early, and die from starvation before they can replenish their fat reserves.  This fungus has resulted in the loss of millions of bats in eastern North America, whose populations face additional hurdles due to slow reproduction rates, habitat loss, and wind turbines.

Acoustic Monitoring

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) environmental monitoring group teamed up with the Toronto Zoo Native Bat Conservation Program in 2017 to learn more about the regional distribution and general ecology of eight local bat species.  This partnership resulted from a grant provided by Environment Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program to expand monitoring, research and outreach efforts for Ontario’s bats.  Previous to this work, TRCA partnered with the Royal Ontario Museum to better understand bats within the Scarborough Waterfront Project study area.

In 2017, TRCA set up several recorders, in the upper rural reaches of the Humber River and Duffins Creek watersheds, to capture bat echolocation sounds.

The recorders are downloaded monthly and are decoded by Toby Thorne from the Toronto Zoo, who uses specialized software in order to identify the different bat species sounds.  So far the data shows that there are several bat species at the monitoring sites, but whether or not they are breeding in the area is yet to be determined.  To obtain this additional information, the Toronto Zoo plans to use trapping methods later this year in order to determine the species use of the various sites.  In 2018, TRCA set up several more recorders in urban and urbanizing zones to gain a greater regional understanding of these cryptic flying mammals.  This new information will add to the data collected since 2015 in Rouge National Urban Park by the Toronto Zoo and Parks Canada.

What You Can Do

Bats are important parts of our ecosystem and help protect crops and forests by controlling insect populations.  Discover what you can do to help bats in your area by reading the Toronto Zoo Bat Conservation Guide or learn how to build a bat box on your property by visiting the Canadian Wildlife Service Help the Bats Web site.  You can also attend the Toronto Zoo Bat Awareness Days on Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12, 2018 or Bat Night on Saturday, August 11, 2018.


Through scientific data collection, TRCA’s Environmental Monitoring and Data Management team tell the stories about the changes affecting the natural areas and watercourses within our regions.  For more information, please visit our webpage, follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our Monitoring Matters  e-newsletter, or visit our YouTube playlist.