A bat hung from the cage ceiling, snatching fruit from pumpkin sculptures as admirers stared from below.
About 2,500 people attended the Lubee Bat Conservancy’s eighth annual Florida Bat Festival Saturday.
The festival is the only time of year when the public is allowed inside, said Brian Pope, director of the conservancy.
The conservancy, located at 1309 NW 192nd Ave., is home to 207 bats, Pope said. The species ranged from fruit bats to the largest species in the world, the Malayan bat, which has a 6-foot wingspan.
Visitors looked at tables set up by 26 vendors, ranging from merchandise to animals such as greyhounds, snakes and iguanas, which visitors could pet.
Kitty Lane, a 48-year-old Jacksonville resident, came to the festival with her family.
Lane, a Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative and Curriculum employee, said the most interesting display was a diorama that let kids compare their arm length with the wingspan of the world’s largest bat.
Kaden Keith, 3, and his family wore Batman shirts to the conservancy.
Kaden, who plans to be Batman for Halloween, said he liked learning about the winged creatures. But he really liked the games.
“I won a bat book,” Kaden said. “I threw the ball into the cup and got one in.”
Pope said the conservancy includes family-friendly activities to teach people everyone can know about bats, not just scientists.
“One of the main goals is to connect with the local community,” he said. “We want people to come out with their families, have a good time and learn about bats.”
An Island Flying Fox Bat, native to Indonesia, wraps its wings up for a nap at the Lubee Bat Conservatory during the 8th Annual Florida Bat Festival, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. The conservatory houses over 200 individual bats of 12 different species while working with international organizations to save fruit bats and their habitats through research and conservation efforts.
