*Eco Experts: Hollywood Did Not Harm Bulgarian Bats*
The bat colonies in Bulgaria's Devetashka cave have not been harmed
during the filming of the Hollywood blockbuster "The Expendables 2."
The announcement was made Tuesday by the Bulgarian Ministry of
Environment and Waters, after concluding an on the spot check ordered by
Environment Minister, Nona Karadzhova.
The probe came on the heels of eco activists alarming that due to the
noise during the shooting of the movie bats inside the cave, a key spot
for spending the winter season, have come out of hibernation much
earlier than usual and it is unclear how many will survive until spring.
They also found a number of dead bats.
It was reported a week ago that the European Commission has sent a
letter to the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters, inquiring
information on the case with the dead bats in the Devetashka cave.
<http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=134765>
Experts of the Ministry and of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BAS,
now say that the majority of bats were found to be in hibernation and
the dead ones were within the norm of the usual mortality rate.
They have monitored over 7 300 different species of bats. The total
number of bats hibernating in the cave was estimated at 20 000.
Thus, the Ministry rejected Tuesday claims Hollywood activities have
harmed the bats, but ordered a ban on all visits in the cave for the
entire winter until hibernation is over.
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