A Rare Colony of Bats Find Safe Haven Near Bacardi Office in South Florida

By Chilled Magazine

In the shadow of the Bacardi North America regional office in Coral Gables, Florida, there is a rare colony of bats.

The bat, for those who are not aware, is deeply rooted in the history of Bacardi. A long-ago bat colony in Cuba actually inspired the iconic emblem for BACARDÍ® rum.

“More than 150 years ago, bats were living in the rafters of our first distillery in Santiago de Cuba,” explains Eddie Cutillas, Director of Community Relations for Bacardi in the United States, and a sixth generation Bacardí family member. “They were believed to bring good fortune and symbolize family unity – and so our BACARDÍ bat emblem was born in
1862.”

BacardiBat1The discovery of bats in Coral Gables, however is a recent one. When Florida International University (FIU) bat biologist Kirsten Bohn moved into the South Florida city, she first observed them while enjoying a cocktail on her balcony one night. “These bats produce social calls every night while they’re flying around. I recognized them, at first, just by ear,” says Bohn.

Later, using a high-speed recording device, Bohn was able to identify the species. “They are Eumops floridanus, among the rarest mammals in the world,” adds Bohn. “We believe there are only about 500 left and they exist only in southern Florida.”

The biologist began organizing community efforts to protect the creatures – and dispel common misconceptions. “Bats are not blind, nor are they vicious. They don’t swoop down out of the sky and bite you,” says Bohn. By happenstance, a Coral Gables-based Bacardi employee attended one of the volunteer events and got the Company involved. At the next gathering – which evolved into a science and social event – a full-service bar complete with BACARDÍ rum, t-shirts and branded hats drew a crowd of about 200.

The grass roots effort supports visibility and research. “These bats are an integral part of the environment and the ecology in South Florida,” says Bohn. “They eat large insects, particularly moths and beetles. The best way to preserve this species is to gather as much information about them as possible.”

The bat cause is close to the heart of the Company on a couple of levels: its heritage, office building location, and its relevance to the Bacardi global environmental sustainability initiative – Good Spirited: Building a Sustainable Future.

“At Bacardi, our good spirited efforts to build a more sustainable future include working with the local communities wherever we conduct our business,” adds Cutillas. “What better fit than with the bats right here in our midst? Our office building in Coral Gables is very close to where these bats call home.”

The Coral Gables bat initiative reinforces the Company’s purpose and values and demonstrates the Bacardi commitment to the environment and sustainable business practices, to the communities where it crafts and sells its products, and to the consumers who enjoy them.

Click Below to See Other Great Food & Drink Articles Around the Web

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!