The fight between Batman's band and the crew of The Expendables 2, who filmed an action movie in Devetaki Cave, Northern Bulgaria, has ended in the defeat of bat colonies. As early as November environment groups clamoured for the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in the town of Pleven, which consented earlier the filming of The Expendables 2 in Devetaki Cave, one of Europe's three most significant habitats for rare bat species. A bridge was also built in the area to make the transportation of filming equipment easier.
Despite the numerous complaints of environmentalists and scientists to local authorities, the Environment Ministry and Sofia Court House, nobody stopped the filming, which lasted for 2 months and brought good revenues to Nu Boyana Film Studios, which organised the shooting. Bulgarian authorities passed the buck between each other until the crew left the country. For their part environmentalists have argued that, as a natural landmark, Devetaki Cave is protected by Bulgarian law. The latter states that “all activities leading to the disturbance, harming, killing or chasing of bats are strictly forbidden.” The Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Pleven somewhat naively explained that the film crew promised not to disturb the bats.
Why all this hype around bats? Bulgaria is one of the countries in Europe with the biggest diversity of bat species. The majority, however, is facing extinction threat. Out of 35 bat species in Europe, Bulgaria shelters 33, hence its responsibility for conserving these creatures of the dark. What's more, Devetaki Cave is home to one of Europe's most numerous colonies reaching up to 60 000 bats.
“The bat colonies are extremely valuable because they consist entirely of protected species”, said for Radio Bulgaria Antoaneta Hubantcheva, expert from the Bat Research and Conservation Centre at the National Natural Science Museum. “The colony inhabiting Devetaki Cave is the third most significant in Europe. Bats are insectivorous, killing a vast number of insects. They are completely indispensable to nature. Bats are the only animals at night eating insects in such amounts. Therefore, inflicting damage on bats leads to serious ecological unbalance that can hit badly agriculture, forests, etc. “
The Bat Research and Conservation Centre examined thoroughly Devetaki Cave after the filming was over. They found out the bat population had decreased dramatically. They registered a mere 10 400 bats, while last year their number was 35 000 in total. Scientists believed the bats were driven away by the action, seeking shelter in other caves. A few bats were found dead. The exact number of dead bats cannot be estimated precisely because the cave hides a river that could have washed away their bodies. In the words of Antoaneta Hubantcheva, it is very alarming that all bats in Devetaki Cave are currently awake and exhausted. At this time of the year, the expert argues, they should be hibernating as bears do. Due to the lack of food in winter, bats hibernate between 4 or 5 months thus reducing their energy consumption to the minimum. Environmentalists are concerned with another fact, too. The film crew left behind a serious threat, namely a bridge leading to the cave's entrance.
“The biggest problem at the moment is the bridge”, continues Antoaneta Hubantcheva. “Some people say it's a reconstruction. However, it can't be a reconstruction because it's a car bridge. In the past there was a railway bridge that had been inaccessible to cars. Years ago the cave was used as a military base storing fuel containers that were transported on trains. That was very harmful to the cave. Devetaki Cave has been suffering human impact for years and it's even more vulnerable today. The new bridge makes the cave easily accessible. Hundreds of tourists can flood it, which would inflict serious damage on the whole cave”.
The access to Devetaki Cave is strictly forbidden in the period June 1st – July 31st, while during the rest of the year (August 1st – May 31st) only “scientific expeditions and tourist visits” are allowed. The cave is not guarded. Before the bridge was erected its sheltered location was its only protection.
Environmentalists are strongly determined to seek liability for the idleness of authorities, which has caused serious damage to the bat colony in Devetaki Cave.
“The state has once again ignored its own laws. The Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in the town of Pleven shouldn't have permitted activities that run counter to the bat protection legislation. Unfortunately, after we filed several complaints to different authorities, they simply passed the bulk between each other until the filming was over. The law has been violated and several NGOs and scientific institutions are against those authorities getting off scot-free. Therefore, we filed a complaint to the court, hoping for a positive breakthrough. If the problem is not solved on a local level, we'll seek higher authority. It's high time Bulgaria learnt to observe its own laws.”
English version: Vyara Popova
