Going Batty in Baton Rouge – BREC’s Bluebonnet Swamp Nights series returns with its first Bat Banquet Friday night.

BREC’s Bluebonnet Swamp Nights series returns with its first Bat Banquet Friday night.

Of the 45 species native in the United States, 11 live in Louisiana. While they have been vilified for their nocturnal activities and some species’ fiendish monikers and carnivorous menus, bats are both directly and indirectly beneficial to humans.

“Bats are a biological control for mosquitoes,” explains Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center Director Claire Coco. “Some species can ingest 2,000 insects a night. The more bats we have, the less dependent we are on chemicals to control the insect population and limit West Nile virus.”

The Swamp Nights program begins with an introduction to the creatures of the night and a visit with live bats brought by Wings of Hope Sanctuary’s Leslie Lattimore, the state’s only certified bat rehabilitator.

Then, the bold and brave explorers will head out for a night hike and receive hands-on training on identifying different species and their habitats.

When they return to the BREC’s bat cave, the group can feast on snacks propagated by their black furry buddies.

“These are foods that are at least bat-dependent,” says Coco. “Bats eat the fruit of these plants and spread the seeds as they fly.”

The Bat Banquet buffet is likely include bananas, dates, coconuts, almonds, cashews or figs and even cacao (used for making chocolate) and drinks sweetened with agave (which is used in everything from tea to tequila).

Advanced registration is required either at the Nature Center or webtrac.brec.org. For more information, call 757-8905.

Simon and his brother, Stanley, were dumped at a barn. These two-year-old tuxedo boys both get along with other cats, dogs and children. They’d love to be adopted together, but they can be separated.

Sherman is a 30-pound basset hound. Even though they had him for years, his previous owners moved and seemed to think Sherman wasn’t portable; so, they surrendered him to rescue. Nonetheless, this great guy enjoys the company of all people and dogs and doesn’t seem to mind cats.

CC is a two-year-old female Bengal mix. CC (short for Chief’s Cat) showed up at a sheriff’s substation. There, the chief took a liking to her and started feeding her. However, he became concerned CC would get hit by a car near the substation’s busy intersection, so he contacted SOS. Like most Bengals, she is a talker. She gets along well with children as well as other cats and dogs.

Scottie is a female border collie. Even at age seven, this spry girl is capable of jumping short fences just keep her figure and get much-needed exercise. Scottie is housebroken and does well with kids and other dogs.

Blue Ivy is a female Russian Blue mix. Ivy was found in an attic of a house that was under construction. The contractors didn’t know what to do with her and went door-to-door searching for her owner. Luckily, a RescueMe volunteer lived two houses down. So, when all attempts to find her owner failed, this one-and-a-half-year-old entered rescue. Ivy gets along well with other cats and even dogs—after a slow introduction.

Edna is a female fox hound/Greater Swiss Mountain dog, who was plucked from the middle of busy street. Rescuers were convinced this girl had an owner because she was so sweet. She loves to play but also to cuddle with her people. Unfortunately, numerous attempts failed to identify one. Now, safe and sound, this great girl is looking for a home to call her own. Edna does well with kids, other dogs and cats.