Why are bats a protected species?
There are many places that bats are unable to survive, places that have large populations of wasps and spiders, swallows, or any insectivore that eats up their food supply. Other areas, widespread use of insecticides has cut bat populations first by poisoning then by making them sterile. People have been told that bats carry rabies and so should be eliminated. Reality is that in North America fewer than one person per year is getting bat rabies. Considering their effect on mosquito populations that help control diseases like west Nile, we should take our risks with bat rabies. (If we have them in our house I would get inoculated despite the low risk generally).
