Monday, 30 September 2013

An Awakening: Started to Love Bats

             Of all the different kinds of animals I have seen and presented by our outstanding  UPLB professors whom their concern, love and desires for animals are indeed fascinating, what my eyes caught the most upon which I found it attractive were the bats together on where they live on here in our motherland—the Philippines. We all know that bats are not the eye-catching type of species and in the same way they are quite not dominating (as we assume). Most of Filipinos undoubtedly feared them. Maybe, because for some factors, like the sounds that they made are naturally ‘thrilling’ and ‘irritating’. But this is unexplainable to exceptionally “into” the animals because for these people or the so-called animal-lovers, bats are regarded as ‘precious to see and wonderfully made and part of our environment. From curiosity, they started researching about the whereabouts of bats, locating where do they often stay? On what specific parts of our country?
                I wonder, as suddenly as I was listening about some facts on bats and their backgrounds, how much do we know so far? This question I took seriously. How many cave bats are there? At the back of my mind, I unconsciously questioned myself, how many people really care? Am I one of them? I am pertaining not only to bats but all the other animals that exist and yet only few knew. Nonetheless, aside from human beings caring for their personal stuffs such as shopping etc, what else do really matters to us? Are animals just a decoration in the forest, caves and surroundings? I think not.
                To BS Mathematics students like me, we might not be the know-it-all on this perspective about our animals around us but it will never change the reality that we also interact connect to them. Also, there will always be a part of us that eager us to find out more, to seek more and to search more. 
                Over 260 years of exploration of Philippine wildlife—seven publications mentioned information on cave bats. At this very moment, I just knew that there exist a museum collection—a synopsis of mammalian fauna of Philippine Islands on cave bats of Central West Coast and Southern Section of Northwest Panay. Additionally, amazingly, Geoffroy’s Rousette fruit bats are the largest known colony of the species in the world. Bats all live in a single cave—guests aren’t allowed to enter but they can peer over bamboo railings into any of five openings where the seething masses of sleeping fruit bats can be seen coating the cave walls. This, among other unusual discoveries, has led to current proprietor Norma Monfort to team up with scientific teams from all around the world to transform the 57-acre farm into a serious foundation for the preservation of the bats.

                Not only have those, bats also dwelt in Polillo Island. They serve this island as their natural habitat but currently most of the bats have made their home in Samal Island cave for unfold generations. A stunning world record! This lead us to only one conclusion—that Philippines have so much resources that most of them are benefits for everyone if we will have the sincerity in our hearts to start caring, loving and considering them as part of production, growth and a partner in order to achieve a better, happy and well-communicated environment—our dwelling place.

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