Now, harming bats will invite legal action in Rajasthan

JAIPUR =: In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has given rise to widespread hostility and fear towards bats among the people, Rajasthan’s chief wildlife warden Arindam Tomar has issued a circular to all deputy conservators of forests in the state to educate people against harming these flying mammals.
A warning has also been issued to take legal action if anyone is found killing or harming bats or their habitat in the state. After Karnataka, Rajasthan has become the second state to protect these mammals amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
TOI on May 4 raised the issue that hunting of these flying mammals and extermination of their colonies were on the rise in the state.
Dua Lal Bohra, conservationist and IUCN member, wildlife health, said, “Forest department intervened on right time to rescue these flying mammals. As warning is issued, people will not disturb the bats during their breeding season.”
A forest official informed, bats fall under Schedule V of Indian Wildlife Act, 1972 and till date, there was no provision of punishment for killing them. “They are essential for ecosystem, human health and agriculture. Now, after the orders have been released, action will be taken against the offenders,” said the official.
It was stressed that bats are mighty tools against the pests that damage crops. “Its pest-control services are invisible to humans as they do their insect marauding at night when no one is watching. These creatures are non-toxic, biological control for some agricultural pests, as well as for mosquitoes that may be human disease vectors,” added the forest official.
Researchers claim that the situation worsened after a recent paper on bats from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) was misrepresented. The layman has been convinced that the mammal is a corona vector. However, conservationists from South Asian countries have recently stepped forth to defend these bats and debunk the myth that these mammals are vectors of the novel coronavirus, (SARS-CoV-2). The biologists also claimed that there is no cause for panic as the BtCoV is not the same as SARSCoV-2 and cannot cause Covid-19.