Bats - Bane or Blessing?

Unlike many other mammals, bats are often greatly feared by people. There is even a condition for it - Chiroptophobia - or the fear of bats, which may largely stem from their association with darkness, vampires, horror films, or even their association as disease vectors and pests. This fear or dislike of bats is believed to be an important barrier to bat conservation globally. But a new study aims to shine the spotlight on more positive beliefs and cultural perceptions regarding bats from across the Asia-Pacific region, which can hopefully counter these negative narratives surrounding bats, and possibly also help design culturally-grounded conservation strategies for these tiny ecosystem warriors. We find out more about the study from two of the authors of the paper, Mary-Ruth Low, a Senior Conservation Scientist under Project Pteropus, RIMBA, and Dr Cyren Wong, an ethnozoologist and ecological anthropologist and lecturer at Monash University.