Uninvited visitors: Return of the dark knights

Megabats once again occupy fruit trees in Piryalo

SUKKUR: The fruit is always tastier on the other side of the province, or so megabats, whose natural habitat is Mirpurkhas and other nearby districts, believe, as they have travelled approximately 365 kilometres to Khairpur district. A large number of megabats have been sighted on mango and date trees in the katcha near Piryalo and other areas.

Similar to last year, a large number of megabats have been spotted in the katcha areas of district Khairpur for last couple of days. According to residents, last year the villagers killed many megabats, which leads them to believe the animals have changed their strategy; the megabats now attack the trees at night and keep eating the fruit till early morning, before flying away to the safety of the nearby forest.



According to Hakim Ali, a resident of the katcha, he owns around 50 mango trees and most of the fruit has been devoured by the megabats. At night, when they occupy the trees, they make terrifying noises and villagers seldom dare to leave their homes, he claimed. So far they have not harmed any humans, said Ali, adding that no one can stop these uninvited guests from visiting and enjoying a lavish feast at the villagers' expense. Besides eating the fruit, the megabasts also suck the branches and dry them up, he lamented.



World Wildlife Fund - Pakistan Sukkur senior project officer Imran Malik said the megabats are also known as fruit bats and used to travel from one place to another in search of the food. These bats are also found in Punjab and in 2013 and 2014 had occupied many fruit trees in Sargodha, he explained. The bats ate fruits and sucked the nectar of flowers, he said, adding that their stay at one place is not more than one-and-a-half months.

The megabat is a harmless creature for human beings, according to Malik, and he appealed to villagers not to kill them.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2016.