Wind farms appear to be killing many more bats than anyone previously realized, according to The Washington Post.
For years, scientists have been documenting the death of birds and bats in the spinning blades of turbines. But now it seems bats are dying at a higher rate than previously estimated.
The reason for all the dead bats wasn’t immediately clear to researchers. It’s been suggested that bats may be attracted to wind farms due to the emission of ultrasound from turbines. Wind farms may also increase the availability of prey.
The wind industry has suggested that turbines be halted at low wind speeds when bats are most active. Conservationists praised the move. But some say more needs to be done.
Researcher Fiona Mathews noted that bats have been flying for 30 million years without the risk of colliding with a spinning object.