Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Large size bats have suddenly arrived at mountainous areas of Shangla district, damaging orchids of persimmon, apple, pears, walnuts besides surprising locals as how to tackle them and protect their ripen fruits from damage.

“For the last few days a large number of big size bats have arrived in our area which remained dangling in trees during day time and at night start destroying ripen fruit and green cover including maize crops,” shared Hussain Ali, a resident of Pirabad area of Alpuri tehsil of Shangla district.

Hussain Ali apprised that this is the first time in his life that such a large number of bats have arrived in the area, astonishing the locals who are connecting different anecdotes behind attack by the flying mammal scientifically known as Chiroptera.

He informed that every evening, people avoid going out of homes and restrict their children indoor to avoid any damage by countless number of flying bats in the area.

The trees where these bats stay during day-night become filled with a stinking smell disturbing the locals while passing through it. He said locals are facing losses due to damage to ripen fruits and demanded of Wildlife and Agriculture Departments to take action for protection of people from losses.

He said presence of such a large number of bats in the area is also posing threats of spreading different zoonotic diseases including Nipah. Muhammad Ali, an orchid owner from same area of Pirabad said they have not seen such size of big bats which are posing very serious threat to our orchids and may inflict serious losses to the farming community of the region.

“We are taking gun for protection of our orchid, but how many bats will kill and are facing losses,” shared a dejected orchid owner, Imran Raza who dwellers in Union Council Kuzkara of Shangla. In response of aerial firing, the fruit bats fly away but come back after sometime, Raza told while taking from Shangla.

He said orchid owners are facing a lot of losses because the fruit dealers who visit area for advance booking of fruits, drops their plan over watching large number of bats hanging in trees. He said bats arrived around a couple of weeks earlier and have already damaged a lot of ripen fruits and agriculture produce in the area.

Imran also alleged that Wildlife officials are not giving any deed to their complain and have shown no response despite passage of few days. Meanwhile, Sub-Divisional Forest Officer Shangla, Mansoor Salim when contacted said he was not aware about the issue and will now take it up with concerned authorities for appropriate action.

DFO Swat Usman Kamal also assured that he will take up the issue and hold discussion with locals and concerned departments for protection of orchids and farms of the area.