About the Gauteng and Northern Regions Bat Interest Group.

The Gauteng and Northern Regions Bat Interest Group (GNoR BIG) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization run by volunteers in their spare time. It was established in 1994 around the same time as its sister organization, Bats KZN which is based in Kwa-Zulu Natal province. GNoR BIG is based in Gauteng Province but extends its activities to all the northern provinces (North-West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga), hence its name. Membership is open to anyone and subscription fees are minimal. The primary function of the group is educating the public about bats, with the ultimate aim of assisting their conservation through a wider understanding of the fascinating nature of these misunderstood animals, as well as their benefits. Meet our executive committee.

Mission

We are committed to:
Educate people to understand and value bats as essential allies;
Assist in advancing scientific knowledge about bats, their conservation needs, and the ecosystems that rely on them;
Relying on non-confrontational approaches to facilitate win-win solutions that help both bats and people.
Protect critical bat habitats and encourage others to join in our conservation efforts.

Join Us

Activities

Talks to the public.
Weekend bat outings to interesting places, from farms to nature reserves, cave sites, etc.
Answering bat queries from the general public.
Arranging talks by bat specialists covering topics such as recent findings from field trips, bat-human diseases, bat biology and so on.
Contributions to the body of knowledge on African bats.
Training in bat identification and as bat workers.