UPDATE: Video Now Available
Monthly Meeting and Lecture
“Other Flying Creatures Besides Birds: The Bats of South Florida” by Frank Ridgley, DVM, Conservation and Research Department, Zoo Miami
Date and Time
Tuesday, September 5, 7:00 p.m.
Program Overview
Little is known about our state’s largest bat. Join us on Tuesday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m. for an opportunity to learn more about the Florida bonneted bat and what is being done to save this endangered species. With a total population believed to be only in the hundreds, it is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and it became listed as federally endangered in 2013. Known as the Florida bonneted bat, its range is limited to sparse colonies spread across seven south Florida counties.
There are many reasons bats are important to the environment. Check this video on Zoo Miami’s Florida Bonneted Bat Program:
About Dr. Frank Ridgley
Dr. Frank Ridgley received his B.S. in Animal Science and his D.V.M. from Purdue University. While in New York, he served as Senior Veterinarian at the Buffalo Zoo, taught at Canisius College, served on several boards for veterinary medicine and wildlife organizations, and was adjunct faculty for the residency program in laboratory animal medicine at SUNY at Buffalo. In 2007, Dr. Ridgley accepted a position at Zoo Miami as an Associate Veterinarian in the animal clinic. In 2011, he shifted his focus to field conservation and research efforts and became the Director of Conservation and Research at Zoo Miami. Dr. Ridgely is currently graduate faculty at Florida International University, the Chair of the Zoo Miami Animal Care and Use Committee, the Chair of the Zoo Miami Conservation Committee, and a member of the Florida Bonneted Bat Working Group.
He serves on the Steering Committee of the Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, on the Steering Committee of the Florida Imperiled Butterfly Working Group, and on the Conservation Committee of the Florida Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
More Meeting Information
Also at the meeting, our expert, Clive Pinnock will speak about the September Bird of the Month, Northern Bobwhite.
Meeting and program is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments, in rooms 101 and 102 at FAU Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, 6301 Summit Blvd (near Jog Road) in West Palm Beach. We look forward to seeing you there!
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