“Hello darkness my old friend!”

Bat Night is marked for 25 years now, and 12 of those non-stop by the Porto Municipal Environment team.

The next “Noite com Morcegos”, aka “Evening with Bats” happens on 6 August, but there are other dates in the timetable that will give you this unique opportunity to enter a not-to-miss nocturnal adventure in the city’s parks and green spaces.

Biologist Luzia Sousa organised a roadmap that covers some of Porto’s green areas. The next stop is on 6 August at the Parque Oriental, at 8 pm. Capacity is limited to 20 people, and prior application is mandatory via the filing in of a form. August also offers sessions on 14th, at 7.45 pm, at the Parque da Cidade, and on 20th, at the Parque de S. Roque, at 7.30 pm.

This “vision softly creeping” is a worthwhile vison as this species – for centuries misunderstood and portrayed as the villain – offers numerous benefits both for humanity and nature. Bats boost healthy forests and fruits, they pollinize several plant species, and they also control the insect population, which are potential destroyers of agricultural crops and disease spreaders. And this is for starters.

The initiative will come back on 16 October, with a session at the Gardens of the Palácio de Cristal, at 6 pm. Applications for each of the sessions are available eight days before the event itself. The Evening with Bats [Noites com Morcegos] is organised by the Environmental Team of the Municipality of Porto.

The year 2021 marks the 30th Anniversary of EUROBATS and the 25th Anniversary of International Bat Night; as such, the Environment Team of the Municipality of Porto offers nocturnal sessions aimed at families so that they can learn a bit more about the habits of these sometimes misunderstood mammals.

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