Chester Zoo - Twilight Zone

S2E21 Chester Zoo is the most visited zoo in the UK with over 2 million visitors a year. It's also a conservation and education charity committed to preventing extinction. The fruit bat forest in the Twilight Zone exhibition is a fantastic visitor experience; Steve joins Dave White, the manager of the Twilight Zone, who explains how it's also used as an insurance population for the endangered Rodrigues fruit bat Pteropus rodricensis which is only found on the island of Rodrigues. Dr Claire Raisin the field programme coordinator for Madagascar and the Mascarenes explains how island-wide bat surveys which started in the mid-1990s are helping Chester monitor the nine main roost sites in Rodrigues. And finally we meet Helen Bradshaw the Estate Ecologist who amongst her many roles manages the native bat species roosts across the 250 hectare Estate opened in 1931 by George Mottershead. Find out more about the project at Chester: Fruit Bat Forest Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and their Facebook Page Follow Dr Claire Raisin and Helen Bradshaw on twitter Find out more about the Nature Reserve at Chester Zoo Join the conversation on social media using #BatChat: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BatConservationTrust/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/_BCT_ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batconservationtrust/ For more bat news, head to our website https://www.bats.org.uk/ Producer: Steve Roe @SteveRoeBatMan Cover Art: Rachel Hudson http://rachelhudsonillustration.com/info Support the show Please leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should). Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via [email protected] Bats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!