With the mercury hitting 45 degree Celsius, the Forest Department has come up with a plan of spraying water on bats in five trees at village Kabatabandha of Jajpur district to help the mammals brave summer heat.
“During the summer season, we keep a close watch on the bats in our village and prevent them from suffering from dehydration. The summer is hard for the bats, which are prone to heat strokes. After the death of around 50 bats due to sun stroke recently, we urged the forest officials to save the bats from the summer heat and the forest officials with the help of fire brigade men started sprinkling water on the trees. As a result, around 7,000 bats on the six trees in our village are now safe,” said Paramananda Sahoo, a villager of Kabatabandha.
“When the heat level rises above 40 degree Celsius, bats need water. A lot of care is being taken during the summer as the heat causes sudden heat stroke. Fire brigade men are helping us to save the bats in Kabatabanda,” said Pitabash Mohapatra, forest officer of Bairi forest range.
“Kabatabandha village is like a mini bat sanctuary with more 7,000 bats living in six trees in the village. The heat wave leaves the bats badly affected. So, extra care is being taken for the safety of these animals,” Mohapatra said.
Bats are mammals, with fur covered bodies. They are warm blooded. Mothers feed milk to their newborn babies. Bats are the only mammals that undertake true flight. Many wildlife and mammal researchers visit Kabatabandha village to gather firsthand knowledge about bat conservation works.