On Sat, 6 Sep 2003 20:13:28 +0100, Jane Ransom
wrote:

In article , Andrew J
Instone-Cowie writes
On Fri, 5 Sep 2003 20:03:06 +0100, "Alison"
.co.uk wrote:


What would you do in this situation?

There is some legal info on the Bat Conservation Trust website,
http://www.bats.org.uk/batlaw.htm, might be worth giving them a call?

I am amazed at the responses to this thread.
Apart from Mike, no one who has responded has suggested talking to the
farmer. The advice has been to go, behind the poor sod's back, to some
organisation or other who will, in all likely hood, give him a hard
time. You are behaving as if the farmer is some sort of mean and nasty
ogre whereas he is just trying to make a living out of providing us
stuff to eat and is probably as interested in preserving the bats as
anyone else.
I just can't believe that a group of nice people could advise something
so utterly despicable.
Shame on you Jane.
In defending the farmer against a stereotypic view you purvey another
stereotypic view about an organisation.
As a volunteer bat warden I know I and my colleagues bend over
backwards to help people with bat roosts according to their different
needs. It is usually volunteers who will do a roost visit. I have also
found that English Nature give excellent and positive support and
backup.
Don't forget bats are protected by law because they are in serious
decline with some on the verge of extinction. The Nature Conservation
organisations have a necessary role in this protection. In my
experience they do everything they can to avoid being heavyhanded and
hardly ever resort to law preferring education, cooperation and
advice.
You may have seen recently in the national news that is just this type
of roost destruction, often by builders converting buildings, that has
exacerbated bats declining numbers.



Nick Harrison Lancaster UK