Yn possan Manninagh son craitnaghyn (Manx Bat Group) welcome new species to the Island

There are many wildlife organisations working throughout the Celtic lands and waters that do a tremendous job in trying to protect endangered species. They bring together volunteers from across the communities in which they live who are interested in the conservation of wildlife. One such group is the Yn possan Manninagh son craitnaghyn (Manx Bat Group) and they have a very distinctive logo (see below) of a bat in Celtic design flying over a map of the Isle of Man (Manx: Mannin). Craitnag is the Manx Gaelic name for a bat.

The new arrival is the Lesser horseshoe bat. As they report on their website: "The Manx Bat Group is very excited to announce that it has recently recorded the presence of the lesser horseshoe bat in the island. This species is not one of those previously known to be resident and this discovery brings the total number of bat species recorded for the Isle of Man to nine." The range of the lesser horseshoe bat in the British and Irish Isles had been restricted to Wales, Cornwall, the western counties of Ireland and southwest counties of England. The Manx Bat Group are keen to hear from volunteers to join in their monitoring activities. More information can be obtained from their website. 

There are a number of wildlife organisations around the world that help protect endangered animals. They do extremely important work at a time when many species on the planet are being lost each year. Global biodiversity is being lost much faster than natural extinction due to a number of factors such as the ongoing growth of human populations, urban development, changes in land use, unsustainable use of natural resources, invasive alien species, climate change and pollution among others. These wildlife groups are always looking for volunteers as well as providing information to those interested in their work.