St. Helena Public Cemetery bats found dead in possible poisoning

[Auggie]

Napa Valley Register / August 11, 2021

Hundreds of endangered bats that lent gothic character to the St. Helena Public Cemetery and played a vital role in its ecosystem are dead after apparently being poisoned.

Cemetery caretaker John Turner said a woman complained last week about the bats that lived atop the mausoleums along Spring Street, saying they “weren’t allowing her mother to rest in peace,” as Turner recalls. She also complained about the sounds they made.

SNIP

The next day Turner found baby bats “flopping around” in death throes and lying dead on the ground.

Turner said he’d seen at least 500 if not more than a thousand bats fly out of the mausoleums before. None seem to have survived.

https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/st-helena-public-cemetery-bats-found-dead-in-possible-poisoning/article_8f78e751-e4d6-5ee5-abb3-c429ef459db9.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1



Small little story, but it underscores just how stupid, selfish and lethal humans can be. According to the link police can't charge the woman without evidence (she may very well be innocent too).

Also from the link: aside from mosquito control, it’s hard to predict the long-term consequences for the cemetery, which is home to deer, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, owls and other animals.

St. Helena lies in the heart of Napa Valley, surrounded by vineyards, many of which employ sustainable practices like natural predation.