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UrduNew Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 20, 2020) – Evan Drake, a bat researcher and doctoral student at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, is available for interviews on iconic Halloween animals and misunderstood wildlife, as well as bats and COVID-19.
Halloween is known for bats, ravens, snakes and other wildlife that’s scary to many people. Drake, a program assistant in the Wildlife Conservation and Management Program in Rutgers’ New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, can discuss how and why these animals became associated with Halloween. He can also share some tricks on managing issues these animals may cause at home, as well as some cool, fun facts about these misunderstood creatures.
“Halloween is a fun time to embrace weird things,” said Drake, who is interested in forest ecology and studies how North American bats use a forested landscape. “I can promise that reality is often far weirder than any story we could make up ourselves. Some animals may seem ugly and scary, but they are sometimes evolved to perform a specific set of tasks. I consider that to be quite beautiful. My research is all about how bats fit into their ecosystem, including how they interact with their environment, other bats and other animals. I am thankful for how weird they are.”
Drake is scheduled to give a free, one-hour “RU Wildlife Wise: Demystifying Iconic Halloween Animals” webinar at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 as part of an Earth Day Every Day! series by Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
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Broadcast interviews: Rutgers University has broadcast-quality TV and radio studios available for remote live or taped interviews with Rutgers experts. For more information, contact Neal Buccino at [email protected]
ABOUT RUTGERS—NEW BRUNSWICK
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is where Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, began more than 250 years ago. Ranked among the world’s top 60 universities, Rutgers’s flagship is a leading public research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. It has an internationally acclaimed faculty, 12 degree-granting schools and the Big Ten Conference’s most diverse student body.
