First Slovak Bat Night

The small eastern Slovak town of Snina (Prešov region) and environs will host Slovakia's first Bat Night. The event, scheduled for September 11, is to be held on International Bat Night. "Our main aim is to raise awareness of the lives of these mammals, which since time immemorial have been attributed with a range of negative properties. Due to a lack of knowledge many people continue to be scared of them and recklessly do harm to them", said Iveta Buralová of the Poloniny National Park Administration. As she added at the event experts will talk about these mysterious but very interesting and little-known animals, a documentary film called 'Guardians of the Night' will be screened and kids will be treated to a variety of games and competitions. Twenty-eight bat species are reported to be living in Slovakia. The Poloniny national park is home to 20 of them.