A Preliminary Assessment of the Caves and Bats in Kaligandaki Canyon, Western, Nepal

By virtue of geology, Nepal harbours hundreds of caves and provides potential habitat for a large variety of bats. However, limited studies have focused on cave dwelling bat species in Nepal. Our study along the Kaligandaki canyon -the deepest gorge in the world -aimed to explore it's caves, examine cave inhabiting bat species, and to identify any major prevailing threats to the cave fauna. Roost count surveys, evening emergence counts, harp trap and mist nets were used to assess bats using caves. Out of 20 caves, bat populations were recorded in 13, with guano evident in two additional caves. This included records of a total of 12 species across all studied caves. Cave tourism was observed to be a major threat to bats and the cave environment. Therefore, we recommend the regulation of cave tourism and a halt to tourism-related development in and around these caves.