Bats dying in Ranchi city of India.

Heat waves are killing them.

by

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Below are the pictures of the dead bats taken by me.

Yesterday it was very unfortunate day for me. I got the news that dozens of bats are dying in Morhabadi field in Ranchi city. When I visited the spot I saw dozens of bats killed and few were fighting with death in front of me. Immediate cause may be the heat waves coupled with some types of virus. As there is no shelter from the direct Sun rays these bats were direct affected with Sun's heat. In winter it was with crows and now it is the turn of bats. Ranchi has not witnessed constant high mercury for more than a fortnight. The mercury used to go up in past but it used to dip in four to five days time.

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight.Bats are present throughout most of the world, performing vital ecological roles of pollinating flowers and dispersing fruit seeds. Many tropical plant species depend entirely on bats for the distribution of their seeds. Bats are important in eating insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides. 

Ranchi once a summer capital of undivided is witnessing blistering heat waves for last one fortnight. 

The mercury of Ranchi was registered 42 degree Celsius Saturday. The mercury is constantly remaining 40 to 42 degree in Ranchi. The heat waves and rise in the mercury seems to causing lives of bats.