Large size bats have suddenly arrived at mountainous areas of Shangla district, damaging orchids of persimmon, apple, pears, walnuts besides surprising locals as how to tackle them and protect their ripen fruits from damage.
“For the last few days a large number of big size bats have arrived in our area which remained dangling in trees during day time and at night start destroying ripen fruit and green cover including maize crops,” shared Hussain Ali, a resident of Pirabad area of Alpuri tehsil of Shangla district.
Talking to APP here on Tuesday, Hussain Ali apprised that this is the first time in his life that such a large number of bats have arrived in the area, astonishing the locals who are connecting different anecdotes behind attack by the flying mammal scientifically known as Chiroptera.
He informed that every evening, people avoid going out of homes and restrict their children indoor to avoid any damage by countless number of flying bats in the area. The trees where these bats stay during day night become filled with a stinking smell disturbing the locals while passing through it.
He said locals are facing losses due to damage to ripen fruits and demanded of Wildlife and Agriculture Departments to take action for protection of people from losses. He said presence of such a large number of bats in the area is also posing threats of spreading different zoonotic diseases including Nipah.
Muhammad Ali, an orchid owner from same area of Pirabad said they have not seen such size of big bats which are posing very serious threat to our orchids and may inflict serious losses to the farming community of the region.—APP
