In fact, they are home to the Mexican long-nose bat, the only known pollinator of the saguaro cactus. McCracken says people don't realize that bats only produce offspring every one or two years and have a life span of 30 years. Bats are commonly maligned and accused of spreading rabies. However, the major problems with rabies exist with coyotes and skunks, not bats. A single bat consumes thousands of insects daily.
Bats also pollinate desert plants and disperse seeds, crucial for ecological diversity.
They are vital to the environmental balance of nature. Mines identified with bat populations are closed off with a bat gate designed to keep people out without harming the bats' access. Nature, always seeking to survive and fight extinction, has found a way to adapt to what remains of man's quest for riches long ago. Abandoned mines do pose dangers to communities. To avoid potential disasters, people do need education.