Conservation groups file lawsuit to protect Florida bonneted bats

They’re called bonneted bats because their broad ears extend over their forehead like a bonnet. They’re endangered and several conservation groups say federal officials aren’t doing enough to protect them.

This week, three conservation groups sued U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Florida bonneted bats. The species is at the brink of extinction due to urban and agricultural sprawl and climate change, according to Center for Biological Diversity.

In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the groups allege that although the bats received protection under the Endangered Species Act in 2013, the Fish and Wildlife Service has failed to designate habitat to save the species.

“We can’t save Florida bonneted bats without protecting the places where they live and forage,” said Rachael Curran, a Center for Biological Diversity attorney based in Florida, in a news release. “If these bats are to have any chance at surviving sea-level rise, federal wildlife officials need to protect their remaining habitat now.”

Protecting their habitat will also help save other species, including butterflies, moths and skippers, the groups said.

Florida bonneted bats live in old tree cavities and artificial structures. They eat insects over open spaces like fresh water and wetlands.

There are about 26 colonies of these bats at 11 different sites in southern and southwestern Florida. But the projected sea-level rise could flood nine of the 11 sites, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

Studies show federally protected species are more than twice as likely to recover from an endangered status.