Counting the Bats at Cincinnati Zoo

 

Where bats are maintained in zoos, they are usually managed as members of a group, instead of as individuals.  They tend to live in large numbers and it can be very hard to tell one animal from another; in the case of breeding groups, it becomes just as difficult to tell who the parents of newborn bats are.  This is especially true for the smaller species.  

Even so, it is important for keepers to be able to monitor the health and well-being (and numbers) of the group and be prepared to manage individual bats if it proves necessary.  Here's a video clip from the Cincinnati Zoo, showing the staff taking a census of their vampire bat colony.