In almost all our horror/thriller movies, Bats are feared and projected as sinister creatures. As the night falls and the character enters a dark cave or an old haunted house, they are shocked to see the very loathsome creatures known as Bats. These mammals have been projected as dwellers of dim, shady, and scary places. But what we see in our television sets is actually true for Bats??? Let’s dig in deeper.
According to U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, bats are one of the most essential creatures to maintain a healthy environment. They help us balance the economy too. Now that’s something out-of-the-box right?
Pest control, pollinating plants, and dispersing seeds are some of the many ways bats help in preserving nature to its fullest capacity. Many studies have predicted that bats prey on pests that damage the crops and help in saving more than 80 Billion Dollars across the globe. Now, isn’t that something to work on natural pesticides?
Not all bats varieties are carnivores. Some of them feed on the plant’s nectar and help in pollination. They pollinate plants like bananas, cloves, agaves, and peaches. Bats are the only pollinator for Agave plants which is one of the key ingredients in the world’s favorite shots drink – Tequila.
Many bat species live on fruits too and maintain their role in seed dispersal. Up to 95% of Seed dispersal across the globe is the responsibility of these species and that helped in the faster growth of Rainforests.
One of the most misunderstood animals bats is usually not a preferred species despite their critical role as ecosystem service providers. With scientific and logical explanations pointing to bats being the originator of the SARS-CoV2 virus, causing the world to enter the COVID-19 pandemic, bats are now visualized as the carriers of many such diseases or viruses.
Thus, bats are threatened by the worst predator of all time – Humankind. Many of them are killed mercilessly and needlessly because most of us do not realize the importance of bats in our bionetwork. Bats hibernating in the caves during winter are faced with the detrimental loss of habitat by human activities when they come out of their hibernation.
Yes, bats raise various viruses that harm humans. Then what about the coexistence? Consuming bats and diseases created through the fluids produced by bats or infected by them leads to the breakout of many deadly diseases. By following methods that will not lead us to get anywhere near to bats is a must. This will help us harbor rising infections like the world is facing right now – COVID-19.
‘Give space’ is one of the most used terms in recent years. But only a few could understand the concept behind it – Giving enough space to each animal and that includes bats too. What we need is to understand that we co-exist with nature and it’s high time to achieve the perfect balance without harming either.
The Bomrr tribe in Nagaland come together to celebrate a traditional annual bat harvest festival for many decades now. They gather at Mimi (a place) where they smoke a cave that is full of bats. As soon as these bats start to come out, they are killed by this clan. The locals get scratches and bites in the process but there has been no major disease outbreak in the area. Center for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR) is conducting various studies to understand this Man-Bat Interface among the tribal of the Bomrr Clan.
Delhi Government’s Six Point Plan to Clean Yamuna
In a country such as India, where we worship mother nature, co-existence is a must between humans and animals. Our dependence on the ecosystem supply – air, pollination, and water makes us the most vulnerable creatures on the planet. But due to the destruction of habitat and overuse of land for trade has impacted the larger part of India.
Habitat recovery is one of the major steps to regain stability with animals and other natural elements in the ecosystem. The well-being of animals such as bats is connected to the well-being of humans. This way bats can enjoy a better and productive habitat. With a lower bat population, we will suffer crop losses to pests and lesser pollination. All the creatures have been made by the nature for some reason and lets not destruct this balance. Let us all be the harbinger of restoring this stability so that bats can claim the space that nature created for them.
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