As many as 80,000 bats per year are meeting an untimely demise due to wind farms, researchers have found. The results came out in a survey by the University of Exeter of 46 wind farms, 29 of which had undergone ecological impact assessments that had predicted the creatures would be unaffected. It is believed that bats turn off their sonar (which helps them to detect approaching objects) when they are up high, because they don’t expect anything to be blocking their path. Dr Fiona Matthews of Exeter University said operators should be encouraged to turn off the turbines during peak bat migration and breeding seasons.
Are Wind Turbines a Danger to Bats?
I think it would be detrimental to the bats future if safeguards were not put in place during peak migration and breeding season as stated. Very good Idea to take information from the study and install a ‘Programmable Interrupter’, rather than rely on perpetual means.