As you may already know, I have a soft spot for bats. A
really big soft spot, actually. I’ve been a bat advocate since I was kid, I
managed to become a finalist for a big scholarship at my college with an essay
about bats, and Viridorari’s first animal of the month was the golden-capped
fruit bat.
Most people
see bats as a symbol of Halloween and creepy things, but many don’t know what
an important roll they play in our global ecosystem, and in particular, our
agriculture. Insect-eating bats are crucial for controlling pest populations
that would otherwise demolish our fields. Fruit-eating bats are essential for
pollinating fruit plants, much like bees.
I was very
saddened to learn that recently, the Pipistrelle bat went extinct. They used to
live on Australia’s Christmas Island, but now these tiny, adorable bats with
the coolest name ever are gone for good. The Australian government failed to
offer aid to scientists and the dying species until it was too late. The loss
of any species is a terrible thing, especially when the cause of their death
was caused by human related activities. Why is it that we think it’s okay to do
as we please on this planet, without any regard to the other life forms that
live here?
