And sometimes other animals arrive in caves by accident, such as fish or turtles that are washed in by floods. Thirty-one endangered bat caves and four Ozark cavefish caves are gated or fenced to protect them. Signs are posted at other caves, asking visitors not to enter them. Vandals sometimes break locks or destroy gates and fences and enter anyway. We hope that as people learn more about caves this needless vandalism will stop.
Gray bats are an example of the harm that can be done by interlopers.
During the summer months, gray bats raise their young in caves. If these bats are disturbed, they will take flight, and their young may fall to the cave floor, where they will die. Indiana bats are also vulnerable. Their population in Missouri has decreased by 40 percent in the past 10 years. The decline seems to have been caused by pesticide use, summer habitat loss and the loss of the cold, predator-free caves the bats need for hibernation.