Speak up! Spread the awareness to the people around you. Knowing about the problem is the first step to coming up with a solution. Bats are elusive creatures, they lack the appeal the charismatic megafauna have. Hence, our environmental stewardship is all the more crucial to help protect these animals.
Don’t contribute to the problem. Don’t support the purchase of bat specimens, the consumption of bats or medication procured from the hunting of bats. If you chance upon the illegal sale and trade of bats or bat products, raise it to the authorities or to the NGOs focused on bat conservation.
Be hospitable. Our destruction of their habitat means that bats have to find a way to adapt, and some of them do so by making their home in ours. Bat houses are an excellent way to provide bats with a hospitable home in urbanised areas. Plus, the presence of bats means less mosquitoes around, and free access to one of the most nourishing fertilisers around.
Bats are generally shy creatures. They prefer to be left alone and generally will not interact with humans unless otherwise provoked. If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to miss out on the fact that bats are actually all around us! While bird-watching is a common hobby, bat-watching is not as well-known, but if you just spent some time at night looking up, you might just see numerous bats flapping around having their nightly treat of insects.
To find out more about bat conservation (Remember to support these organisations!):
- Southeast Asia Bat Conservation Research Unit: http://www.seabcru.org/
- Lubee Bat Conservancy: http://www.lubee.org/
- Organisation for Bat Conservation: https://batconservation.org/
- Bat Conservation International: http://www.batcon.org/
- Bat Conservation Trust: http://www.bats.org.uk/
To find out more about bats in SEA:
- Southeast Asian Bat Database: http://www.sc.psu.ac.th/batdb/
- National Parks: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/dos-and-donts/animal-advisories/bats