In a happy event, the lesser long-nosed bat will soon be taken off the Endangered Species List. While such delistings are rare in themselves, the most interesting part of the species’ story is the odd bedfellows that have been thrown together over the last decade or so as part of efforts to boost the bat population. Namely, conservationists and agave farmers.

Blue agave, of course, is the crucial ingredient of tequila. As bats are the usual pollinators of agave, it turns out all of us margarita drinkers owe them a lot.

Problems had started when agave farmers tried to maximize productivity by harvesting their plants before they bloomed. This eventually turned into a massive lack of genetic diversity, so when a disease hit agave plants in Mexico about six years ago, the farmers finally had to listen to the bat conservationists. Allowing just 5% of agave plants to flower helped the native bat population stabilize and grow, giving us the success story of the lesser long-nosed bat!

And as of November last year, a partnership between conservationists and the Tequila Interchange Project (@ThinkBats) began distributing five brands of “bat-friendly tequila” in the U.S. and Mexico. Combining compassion and cocktails? We’re already fans.

Intrigued by “bat-friendly tequila”? Tequila in general? Well, we’re here to help you sort out liquor licensing in Texas so that you can make/distribute/serve it to all the other people who love it! Contact us today!

SOURCE: Cool Green Science.