The novel coronavirus outbreak has been attributed to bats, which are host to a whole diversity of viruses. But bats are not at fault, and neither should we be afraid of these magnificent flying mammals.
In fact, scientists say that animal pathogens like viruses and bacteria are spread because of humans. The New York Times reports:
We invade tropical forests and other wild landscapes, which harbor so many species of animals and plants — and within those creatures, so many unknown viruses. We cut the trees; we kill the animals or cage them and send them to markets. We disrupt ecosystems, and we shake viruses loose from their natural hosts. When that happens, they need a new host. Often, we are it.
We Made the Coronavirus Epidemic, DaviD QUAMMEN, NEW YORK TIMES, 28 January 2020
Singapore’s bats in the news
Watch an interview on Channel 8 on Singapore’s resident bats and Covid-19, featuring Andrew Tay, Dr George Jacobs and Dr Leong Tzi Ming. Statements in English.
Read more and watch the interview: https://www.8world.com/news/singapore/article/covid-19-bat-tours-1053046
不少研究将2019冠状病毒的来源指向蝙蝠，但不影响自然爱好者寻找蝙蝠的踪迹。受访专家表示，蝙蝠不会把病毒直接传播给人类。
晚上7点之后就会有蝙蝠出没。一群大自然爱好者星期六晚上相约到铁道走廊，寻找蝙蝠的踪迹。
徒步活动发起人乔治表示：“蝙蝠吃很多昆虫，蝙蝠也为植物传播花粉，所以我们需要蝙蝠。我们要公众了解和欣赏蝙蝠，我们想呈现的是， 冠状病毒会出现，不是蝙蝠的错。”
一名参与者表示：“没有证据显示蝙蝠和冠状病毒的关系，所以何必担心走进森林。”
另一名参与者说：“如果我们没有侵犯它们的话，我想他们应该也不会特地来打扰我们。”
领团的是本地非营利环保组织，它们从十多年前开始，每年会办两、三场的蝙蝠之旅。
非营利环保组织负责人郑德利说：“我们保持距离，我们不要太接近，毕竟它们都是野生动物。我们只想要观察他们，研究它们，只要政府允许 ，我们会继续这样的户外徒步活动。”
(Cicada Tree Eco-Place conducts two to three bat walks each year and has been doing so for the last decade.) We keep our distance (as) we don’t want to be close (to bats). These are all wild animals. We just want to observe them, study them. As long as the government permits it, we will continue with the outdoor nature walks.
Andrew Tay, CO-FOUNDER at Cicada Tree Eco-Place
我国有20多种蝙蝠的种类，大多数生活在森林和公园区，一般可以出现在棕榈树和香蕉树上。而像身后的这棵香蕉树，卷叶里头就可能有蝙蝠。
蝙蝠研究员梁智敏教授表示：“国人可能会有点过度小心，觉得如果看到蝙蝠，或者很靠近它， 甚至站在它下方，就会感染某种病毒，但事实不是这样。因为即使蝙蝠可能有很多病毒，但他们需要一个中介，才能传播病毒给人类 。”
研究蝙蝠约20年的梁智敏教授认为，即使不小心接触到蝙蝠的粪便，一般情况也不会导致细菌感染。
更多相关消息，请点击《2019冠状病毒》专题报道。
