On June 14, 2023, according to several media reports, a group of several hundreds of bats flew onto a building within the Rongzhou Ancient City Scenic Area in Rongxian County, Guangxi Province, where local firefighters were called in by the staff to capture and deal with these bats. Bats breed in the summer, so it is likely that a breeding population need to roost in the eaves of the building to reproduce. It is a pity that the bats’ whereabouts is mystery. As a result, the ecological service function would be damaged if Rongxian Fire and Rescue Brigade of the operation handle these bats mistakenly.

Picture created by LIU SHUYU

Currently, there are more than 1,400 species of bats in the world; however, there is little research on such species in China. Therefore, there is an urgent need for in-depth research on the basic information, status and endangerment level of bats, as well as national-level conservation actions. Let's review the situation of bats in Guangxi. The author read a report from Guangxi published in 2011, which was the International Year of Bats. Author would like to share it below.

The article firstly introduced the current situation of bats in Guangxi. There are about 107 species of bats recorded in China, among which there are 52 species of bats in 7 families in Guangxi, accounting for about half of the national bat species. Cynopterus sphinx Leschenault's rousette Rhinolophus sinicus and the bats belong Vespertilionidae are widely distributed in Guangxi. For example, Cynopterus sphinx in Guangxi are polygamous and usually live in groups under the leaves of cattail trees.

Bats, as mammals, also have the concept of "Prenatal and Postnatal Care" in reproduction, reproducing once a year and producing only one pup at a time. Bats not only take good care of their offspring, but also show caring and mutual supportive behavior to their companions. Bats play an important role in the ecosystem, such as fruit-eating bats helping to pollinate plants and bats destroying large numbers of insects.

However, bats in Guangxi face a variety of threats. The article mentions some of the main reasons for this, including habitat loss and environmental changes due to large-scale monoculture of commercial forests, loss of roosts for bats as a result of urban construction and forest clearing activities, and threats to the survival of bats due to tourism development in rock caves. In addition, there is a bad habit of hunting bats around Guangdong and Guangxi. In addition, some farmers disturb hibernating bats during snake hunting in the winter, causing them to wake up prematurely and starve to death due to lack of food.

Therefore, this article calls for more attention to the conservation of bats. The article points out that the bats' living space is becoming increasingly limited, and that more in-depth research and conservation action is needed.

Original Chinese Article:

https://v.gxnews.com.cn/a/3553439
Translator: Tommy

Checked by Irene

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