In 2016, Dr. Cliff travelled to Jamaica to accompany members of the Jamaican Cave Organization on a trek. Their mission was to get to the St. Clair Cave, located near Ewarton, St. Catherine. This was home to the Jamaican Greater Funnel Eared Bat, a rare species that was severely endangered, with only a few hundred survivors at that time. They needed to trap a few to study and understand what was happening to their population. In the first episode, watch the crew hike through hot, sticky and treacherous conditions to reach the cave, only to discover a killing field. Feral cats had freshly slaughtered pounds of bats. In this second episode, bat experts, Jan and Steph, train the team to trap bats.
To Catch A Bat
Armed with nets, the team members perched themselves on a ledge near a narrow opening where bats were starting to emerge. Trapping them was tricky, and they had to think like bats to predict their trajectory. A short while later, they had captured a couple of dozen.
Jan took a moment to explain the anatomy and abilities of bats to the team using a small but feisty male specimen as an example. Most of the bats in Jamaica are tiny, and about the size of an adult human thumb. When Dr. Cliff was ready to handle his first bat, his fascination was palpable! He even named the little guy, Henry, before setting him free.
The team spent some time measuring and identifying the species of each bat they had caught. They discovered what appeared to be the smallest bat in Jamaica, Natalus macrourus, which is a Brazilian Funnel Eared Bat. However, the rare Jamaican Greater Funnel Eared Bat remained elusive for this visit.
Watch Jan and Steph offer up fascinating facts about bats, and completely debunk the myth of them as blood-sucking vampires. On the contrary, in the tropics, bats are a critically important part of the ecosystem, spreading more fruit and flower seeds than any other mammal in that part of the world. Wild guava trees found all over Jamaica owe their existence to bats, who enjoy the fruits and spread the seeds through their feces.
About The Jamaican Caves Organization
The Jamaican Caves Organization is a not-for-profit group founded in 2002 and run by cave enthusiasts dedicated to the discovery, exploration, and preservation of the caves and karst of Jamaica. For more information or to donate, visit The Jamaican Caves Organization.
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About Dr. Cliff
Dr. Cliff Redford, DVM, is an experienced veterinarian and owner/operator of the Wellington Veterinary Hospital in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Fondly known as Dr. Cliff to his clients, he has tended to the wellness of pets and animals for over two decades. Hands-on experience in his clinic, combined with animal advocacy and rescue missions locally and across the globe, has allowed him to curate a vast body of knowledge on animal health and welfare, including preventative counselling, soft tissue surgery, advanced dental procedures, internal medicine and emergency care.