Schools go batty over guide

Every teacher in the Cayman Islands will soon be imparting their newly acquired knowledge to their students about local bats thanks to the National Trust. With financial assistance from Truly Nolen, Ambassadors of the Environment and Bat Conservation International, The National Trust for the Cayman Islands has been able to reprint one of its popular study guides, Bats of the Cayman Islands.

“Five hundred guides have been printed and distributed to every teacher in the Cayman Islands and copies will also be given to all public libraries,” said Marnie Laing, Education Programmes Manager of the National Trust.  “On behalf of the National Trust and the Cayman Islands Department of Education, we are extremely grateful for the support of our sponsors. “

Bats of the Cayman Islands is an educator’s guide to the native bats found in the Cayman Islands and forms part of the National Trust’s and the Department of Education’s study guide series. Cayman is home to nine species of native and rare bats whose habitats are fast disappearing. Each one however specializes in different food and each has a unique role to play in our eco-system.

The White Shouldered bat is critically endangered in Cayman and was believed to be extinct until it was spotted in the Lower Valley area. The Buffy Flower Bat lives only in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. It has a long nose and a long sticky tongue like a hummingbird. This amazing little bat pollinates night-blooming jasmine and all the beautiful column cactus and agaves plants that grow on the Bluff on Cayman Brac. These bats are known to be highly intolerant of human disturbance and are very rare. Learning about how these incredible creatures live, can help in conservation efforts.   

To learn more about the education guides produced by the National Trust of the Cayman Islands including Marvelous Mangroves and Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas contact the Trust on 949-0121 or info@nationaltrust.org.ky