This is a new take on night outings, if you are not afraid of the dark

Spending an evening with bats is not weird, instead it can be as mysterious as it sounds. The fourth out of the seven organised evenings to watch up close how these mammals live happens on 6 August at the Parque Oriental. This initiative marks the 30th anniversary of the years of the Agreement for the Conservation of Bats in Europe, under the Bonn Convention.

The Evening with Bats [Noites com Morcegos] has been marked for 25 years now – in Porto, uninterruptedly for 12 years and organised by the Environmental Team of the Municipality of Porto.

This seems a timely activity, taking into context of the ongoing pandemic and the talks about coronavirus, but know that bats enable that humans have healthy forests and fruits, as they pollinize several plant species. Not only that, but they also control the insect population, which are potential destroyers of agricultural crops and disease spreaders.

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.

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.

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.

+ Info via dm.gestaoambiental@cm-porto.pt.