Why bats are not to blame, say scientists

    “Every now and then, Dr Mathieu Bourgarel seeks permission from the village elders to visit the sacred caves, bringing a gift to appease the spirits. Donning mask, overalls, and three layers of gloves, he descends into the darkness, climbing down rope ladders and squeezing through the narrow chambers of caves. People in this part of Zimbabwe call bats "winged dragons", "flying rats" or simply the "evil ones".

    Like elsewhere in the world, the flying mammals are much misunderstood. For this wildlife ecologist, they're beautiful and incredible creatures. "They are fascinating," he says. "People are frightened of something they don't know."

    "The local population frequently visits these bats' habitat, in order to collect guano to use as fertiliser for their crops. It is therefore essential to know the pathogens carried by the bats, because they could be transmitted to humans," says Dr Elizabeth Gori of the University of Zimbabwe.

    Bat experts have launched a campaign, Don't Blame Bats, to dispel unfounded fears and myths about bats, which are threatening conservation. They say bats are some of the most misunderstood and undervalued animals on the planet.

    Long the target of disdain, persecution and cultural prejudice, they have been blamed for a host of evils visited upon humans. And fears and myths about bats have only intensified in the time of Covid.

    The precise origin of the virus that has wreaked such havoc across the world has not been pinned down. But the vast majority of scientists agree that it crossed into humans from an animal species, most likely a bat. That doesn't mean bats are to blame; it's our increasing interference with these wild creatures that's at the root of the problem.”

(Adapted from: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54246473)