Context: The Karnataka Forest Department, along with the Bat Conservation India Trust (BCIT), is getting prepared to save the Kolar leaf-nosed bat from extinction.
About 

• The Kolar Leaf-Nosed Bats endemic to the caves of Hanumanahalli, Karnataka are on the verge of extinction.
• They are Critically Endangered as per IUCN but has not been accorded legal protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Habitat loss from land use change, hunting, and stone quarrying in the region.
• Till several years ago, the Kolar Leaf-Nosed Bat was found in only two caves in the village of Hanumanahalli. For reasons that are still unknown, the bat became locally extinct in one of the two caves.
• According to estimates there are 150 bats left.  In total, there are five species of bats which live in only two caves of the area.

About Bats

• India has 130 species of bats, belonging to nine families.
• However, only 2 species – Salim Ali’s fruit bat and Wroughton’s free-tailed bat are protected by law in India.

India has an incredible diversity of bats including:-

• One of the largest in the world- the Indian flying fox.
• One of the most colorful- the Orange and black painted bat.
• One of the rarest- Salim Ali’s fruit bat.
• Meghalaya is home to about half of the recorded bat species in India.
• Main diet includes fruits, pollen and nectar.

Benefits

• Act as pollinators and thus are vital for the ecosystem.
• Esp. for the plants that bloom at night which are entirely dependent on bats and moths for pollination.
• They also help pollinate the flowers of mangroves.
• They help in insect control and therefore, help in the protection of crops especially rice and tea plantation.
• They are very adaptable creatures and therefore can often be found near human habitation or even in urban settlements, which makes them vulnerable.