Thursday, March 28, 2019

Domesticating Fruit Bats


Domesticating Fruit Bats
Yes it can be done.
I was interested in making the home garden “Birds Friendly’ but never imagined a “Fruit Bat” would frequent the house at night.
They are very secretive guys (?girl) and have very interesting habits according to Prof. Wipula Yapa.
I won’t summarize all of them here, lest nobody buys the book.
It has interesting collection of photos, too.

Much of their habits are far more superior to humans.

To begin with they can live integrated with similar bats species in caves in millions and settle in their own niche.

No in fighting.

Imagine three Ceylonese (apart from politicians, three or for local species want to divide the country like an American Pie) at a cross point.

First noise pollution.

Second bickering.

Third pollution ( I saw a guy urinating by the side of a main road).

This list can be endless.

Bats are social animals.
They are tribal (different species) but can live in the same cave in harmony.
No noise pollution in spite of acute sense of hearing with sonar ability similar to dolphins.
They look after the family (mother, father and the pup) closely.
Imagine a single child family in Ceylon, what a difference?
They reforest what is left over for the elephants to roam.
Our frequenter comes for fruits (one) and honey (three) in flowers.

Same attributes of birds but beat them in style in the darkness.
Can catch a mosquito in total darkness.
They clear up insects that hover round the lights but leave some pellets underneath for us to clear.
I had the wrong impression that they cause fungal disease histoplasmosis.
Histoplasmosis is not a zoonotic disease.
The fungus grows on the dropping left.
Do not go and disturb the caves and inhale histoplasmosis spores.
It is difficult to treat.
 
Bats do not cause diseases or suck blood.
 
They are part and parcel of our forest.

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