Newsletter celebrating the most useful yet most neglected ... Small Mammal...Prof G. Marimuthu, Head...

1Small Mammal Mail - Bi-Annual Newsletter of CCINSA & RISCINSAVolume 2, Number 1, Jan-Jun 2010

Small Mammal MailNewsletter celebrating the most useful yet most neglected Mammals

for CCINSA & RISCINSA -- Chiroptera, Rodent, Insectivore, & ScandensConservation and Information Networks of South Asia

Volume 2 Number 1 Jan-Jun 2010

Contents

Will Fruit Bats be delisted as Vermin on theIndian Wildlife Protection Act in theInternational Year of Biodiversity? If not now,when?, Pp. 2-5

Small mammals survey in Bhutan, Tenzin, Pp. 6-8

A Note on Feeding Habits of Fruit Bats in Colaba,Urban Mumbai, India, J. Patrick David andVidyadhar Atkore, P. 9

Training Report on Bat Capture, Handling andSpecies Identification, Manjit Bist, Pp. 10-11

Training Workshops in South Asia, Pp. 12-15

An Updated Checklist of valid bat species ofNepal, Sanjan Thapa, Pp. 16-17

Field Notes on albinism in Five-striped PalmSquirrel Funambulus pennanti Wroughton fromUdaipur, Rajasthan, India, Satya Prakash Mehra,Narayan Singh Kharwar, Partap Singh, P. 18

Short Report on First One-day National Seminaron Small Mammals Issues, Sagar Dahal andSuchita Shrestha, P. 19-21

Radio awareness Programme, Sanjan Thapa, P. 21

Report on field study at Nagarjuna Cave by SMCRF research team, Rameshwor Ghimire, RobinRana, Narayan Lamichhane, Kastuv Raj Neupane,Sanjan Thapa, Pp. 22-23

Status survey and conservation education:community participation to protect bats in TharDesert, India, K. R. Senacha, Pp. 24-30

Bat Conservation begins in Pakistan, MuhammadMahmood-ul-Hassan, Pp. 31-32

Research and Conservation Awareness of Bats inPalpa District of Nepal, Hari Adhikari and LaxmiKarki, Pp. 33-35

New Network Members

CCINSA

Mr. Manjit BistaStudent, Institute of Forestry, Pokhara, [email protected], [email protected]

Mr. Muhammad Asif KhanResearch Associate, Pakistan Museum of Natural History,Zoological Sciences Division, Islamabad, [email protected], [email protected]

RISCINSA

Mr. Muhammad Asif KhanResearch Associate, Pakistan Museum of Natural History,Zoological Sciences Division, Islamabad, [email protected], [email protected]

In CCINSA and RISCINA we have never passed aperiod of six months (and actually it is now eightmonths) between newsletters and had so few newmembers. Either we have everybody who isinterested in bats and rats already a member (VERYunlikely) or we have lost our reach into the academicand nature study institutions that have provided ourcurrent collection of members. I hope we haven’tlost “our touch” to satisfy some of the needs ofbatty and ratty scholars and enthusiasts. Please letus know if there is something we can do to improvethat doesn’t cost money.

We had not mentioned before but we lost over halfour funding about 3 years ago when the economyplummeted around the world, and our donors have notrecovered. Be that as it may we have still broughtout SMM and also conducted a training in someSouth Asian county every year. This year we don’thave funds to go outside of India or bring anyonehere so, our own Dr. Sanjay Molur, who today (reallyand truly) had his Viva to obtain a Ph.D. with athesis on bats and rats. He won’t get the letterconfirming before we go to press so ... if we arewrong about the Dr. in Sanjay Molur, we are sorrierthan anybody! See you next issue with a summary ofhis thesis! Sally Walker, Editor, SMM

2 Small Mammal Mail - Bi-Annual Newsletter of CCINSA & RISCINSAVolume 2, Number 1, Jan-Jun 2010

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity butmisguided and inaccurate beliefs and lobbying,ostensibly on behalf of agriculture, have beenwinning a battle between science and super-stition, a war that has been polightly waged sincethe Wildlife (Protection) Act listed Bats as Vermin(Schedule V) on the Act (1972).

Agriculturists and farmers do not gain from this Act,they lose, along with the rest of us by the loss ofwild plant biodiversity that actually is enhanced byfruit bats as they eat and disburse seeds of wildfruit throughout landscapes.

Classified as Vermin in the Act, bats can becaptured, bought and sold, and killed legallywithout penalty. They are used for food by asignificant number of people, the single meal a poorsubstitute for a lifetime of the useful activities of abat.

For at least 3 decades, individuals and institutionsaround India and even abroad, who understandand appreciate fruit bats for their crucial role innature, have been waging passionate campaignswith the concerned ministry (first, Ministry ofAgriculture, DoEF, and later MoEF) to remove FruitBats from Schedule V, Vermin category of theWildlife (Protection) Act.

The number of people who have approachedgovernment on the issue are too numerous toname. The primary instrument for keeping thiscampaign alive has been Dr. G. Marimuthu,Professor & Head, Department of Animal Behaviour& Physiology, Center for Excellence in GenomicSciences, School of Biological Sciences, MaduraiKamaraj University, Madurai who has been astudent and researcher of bats his whole academiccareer. Dr. Marimuthu was the first Chair of our batnetwork, CCINSA, Chiroptera Conservation andInformation Network of South Asia and served assuch for many years.

For years, those of us associated with CCINSAhave pursued this noble cause, requestinggovernment to release fruit bats from Schedule V,with small success. After one fruit bat had beendeclared threatened by IUCN and listed on theIUCN Red List, it was delisted from the Act butleaving over a dozen fruit bats taxa as “Vermin”.

The primary reason fruit bats were listed as verminin the first instant is that it was believed that theywere highly destructive to agricultural crops,primarily fruit. Chiroptera specialists from differentcountries throughout the world have studied fruitbats and claim the amount of fruit taken is notsignificant but the return of a small investment is

very high. Fruit bats defecate the seeds which arescattered over a wide area and then germinate. Ithas been proven also through research that thedefecated seeds actually germinate faster thanseeds which are planted!

A government officer from MoEF informed severalyears ago that government would pay moreattention if hard evidence in the form of publishedresearch articles were produced, confirming theutility of fruit bats. CCINSA wrote letters togovernment and sent copies of such publishedarticles from other parts of Asia but then were toldthat government would not accept these assufficient evidence. They would want to know itwas a fact in India before changing legislation.

Recently, July 5, 2010, a letter (see page 3) waswritten by Dr. Marimuthu and the Chair of the BatSpecialist Group, Dr. Paul Racey, Retd. Professor,University of Aberdeen, and sent to the JointSecretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests,Government of India, again calling attention to thefact of such ecologically useful animals beingclassified as Vermin and a succinct summing up ofresearch conducted in India and, in fact, funded bythe Government of India. It establishing that ten ofthe 13 species of fruit bats listed in Schedule V, livein forests and feed on wild fruits without evenvisiting commercial fruit orchards. Moreover theydisperse the seeds of wild fruit, aiding in theregeneration of forests. Of the three species thatvisit commercial orchards, it is shown that theyprefer the non-commercial varieties of fruit and canbe lured away from commercial fruits if farmersplant “trap crops” of wild fruit trees; they alsopollinate and disburse seeds of other commerciallyimportant plants. These facts are backed up bypublished articles from India which are listed alongwith abstracts in the boxes below. Dr. Marimuthuhas oriented some of the research in his institutetowards this goal and these articles are the first ofmany yet to come.

It is laudable that Dr. Marimuthu and otherscientists are conducting research to prove theeconomic utility of fruit bats, but in the meantime,despite the evidence of their positive contributionto biodiversity which has been well established,fruit bats are declining in numbers because there isno law to protect them, only legislation to securetheir demise and contribute to their ultimateextinction, Happy IYB!

This is not what legislation is for ... it is a misuse oflegislation based on ignorance or, perhaps worse -knowing that government now knows the facts,apathy. Sally Walker, Editor, SMM

Editorial: Battle to end a National DisgraceWill Fruit Bats be delisted as Vermin on the Indian WildlifeProtection Act in the International Year of Biodiverity?If not now, when?


Bat Specialist Group, SSC IUCN

July 05, 2010

Mr . Hem Pande, Joint Secretary,Ministry of Environment and Forests,Government of India, Paryavaran Bhavan,CGO Complex, New Delhi -110003,India

Subject: Request to remove the designation of “vermin” from fruit bats

Dear Mr Pande

With a single exception, all 13 species of fruit bats living in India, are classified in the Wildlife(Protection) Act as “vermin”. However, research funded by the Government of India has revealedthat ten of these species are forest dwellers, feeding on wild fruits, dispersing their seed widelyand thus making a significant contribution to forest regeneration. They do not visit commercial fruitorchards.

The research has also shown that only three species of fruit bats do so, but that they actuallyprefer non-commercial fruit! These species are Pteropus giganteus, Rousettus leschenaultii andCynopterus sphinx and they can be attracted away from commercial fruits by planting trap crops (apaper published during the year 2006 in Acta Chiropterologica is enclosed). Moreover, theypollinate and disperse the seeds of commercially important plants such as pettai, mahua andkapok.

We have reviewed the evidence upon which our statements are based in a paper (enclosed)published last year in the international conservation journal Oryx.

India is the only country in the world which continues to refer to its fruit bats as vermin. The Yearof Biodiversity is an appropriate time for the Government of India to consider removing thedesignation of “vermin” from fruit bats in general, allowing the possibility of a derogation for fruitfarmers experiencing the occasional instance of serious damage to their commercial fruit.

We look forward to your reply and timely action

Yours sincerely,

Prof G. Marimuthu, Head & Chairperson, Department of Animal Behaviour & Physiology, School ofBiological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625 021, Tamil Nadu, India.([email protected], [email protected])

Prof P. A. Racey, Co-Chair, Bat Specialist Group, IUCN Species Survival Commission;Vice-Chairman, Fauna & Flora International; School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen,Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, U.K. ([email protected])

Letter to Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government fromDr. G. Marimuthu, and Dr. Paul Racey

Species Survival Commission Tel: ++44 (1225) 388 501 The Innovation Centre [email protected] University of Bath www.iucn.org/species Carpenter House, First Floor Broad Quay, Bath, BA1 1UD United Kingdom

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE


Do fruit bats deserve to be listed as vermin in the Indian Wildlife(Protection) & Amendments Act? A critical reviewNatarajan Singaravelan1, Ganapathy Marimuthu2 and Paul A. Racey3

AbstractOf the 13 species of fruit bats occurring in India, the Indian flying fox Pteropus giganteus,the dog-faced fruit bat Rousettus leschenaultii and the greater short-nosed fruit batCynopterus sphinx are distributed throughout the country. They usually live in trees (P.giganteus), temples and caves (R. leschenaultii) and foliage (C. sphinx) and feed on fruitssuch as fig Ficus spp., Singapore cherry Muntingia calabura, Indian almond Terminaliacatappa, mango Mangifera indica, guava Psidium guajava as well as leaves, nectar andpollen. The other 10 species live at sea level and at altitudes of .2,000 m and theirdistribution and foraging activities may be restricted mainly to forests. Two of them, theNicobar flying fox Pteropus faunulus and Salim Ali’s fruit bat Latidens salimalii are endemic.Although details of their foraging activity are poorly known, there is no evidence that theyvisit commercial fruit orchards. They feed on wild fruits and disperse seeds widely,contributing to forest regeneration. Although P. giganteus, R. leschenaultii and C. sphinxfeed on commercial fruits, their role in pollination and seed dispersal of economicallyimportant plants such as kapok, Ceiba pentandra, mahua, Bassia latifolia and petai Parkiaspp. is important. Sacrificial crops such as M. calabura can be used at orchards to reducethe damage bats cause to commercial fruit. Because the ecological services provided bybats are not appreciated by the public and conservation planners, all fruit bat specieswith one exception are still categorized as vermin and included as such in Schedule V ofthe Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and amended Acts. It is now appropriate for theGovernment of India to revisit this issue and consider removing these pollinators andseed dispersers from the list of vermin in the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

Keywords:Conservation policy, fruit bats, India, pollination, seeddispersal, vermin, Wildlife Amended Acts

Source:2009 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, 43(4), 608–613

1Department of Biology, University of Haifa at Oranim, Tivon36006, Israel2Department of Animal Behaviour and Physiology, School ofBiological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625 021,India. E-mail: [email protected] of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone

Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK.E-mail [email protected]


Muntingia calabura — an attractive food plant of Cynopterus sphinx —deserves planting to lessen orchard damageNatarajan Singaravelan1 and Ganapathy Marimuthu2

AbstractEven though megachiropteran bats in the Old World tropics feed chiefly upon fruits, flowersand nectar produced by wild plant species, they occasionally feed on commercial fruit cropsas well. Therefore, the public frequently views these generally ecologically beneficialmegachiropterans in a negative light due to the potential for damage to crops (Fujita andTuttle, 1991; Mickleburgh et al., 2002). Large-scale cultivation of commercial fruitsfrequently leads to conflicts between fruit growers and bats in countries like Australia(Loebel and Sanewski, 1987; Tidemann et al., 1997), Israel (Moran and Keidar, 1993), SouthAfrica (Jacobsen and DuPlessis, 1976), and Malaysia and Indonesia (Fujita, 1988). The mostserious conflict occurs where the supply of native fruits is reduced through habitat loss,forcing bats to feed on commercial fruits (Fleming and Robinson, 1987; Tidemann and Nelson,1987). Fruit bats and farmers in India are also subjected to such conflicts. The short-nosedfruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae), is one of the most common of the14 mega chiropterans on the Indian subcontinent (Bates and Harrison, 1997). Its dietarybreadth is known to include not only commercial fruits like mango, guava, sapota and grapeberries (Bhat, 1994; Bates and Harrison, 1997; Rajan et. al., 1999), but also non-commercialfruits such as Ficus spp., Calophyllum inophyllum and Coccinia indica (Elangovan et al.,1999). In addition, C. sphinx feeds upon the leaves of C. indica, Cassis fistula and Mimusopselengi (Elangoven et al., 2001). Of the 14 species of pteropodid bats that are found in India,Cynopterus sphinx receives most of the blame for causing damage to commercial fruit crops.We observed the number of visits made by C. sphinx to four species of commercial fruits inorchards (Mangifera indica, Achras sapota, Psidium guajava and Vitis vinifera), and fourspecies of wild/non-commercial fruits (Muntingia calabura, Ficusbengalensis, F. religiosa and Bassia latifolia) in suburban areas. Thetotal number of bat visits to M. calabura was significantlygreater than to all other fruit species. The range ofpercentages of total nightly bat visits was from as low as5% (V. vinifera) to 47% (F. religiosa), in comparison to thetotal nightly visits made to M. calabura. In addition, thenumber of mist-netted individuals of C. sphinx per hournear M. calabura was also significantly higher than nearother fruit spp. We suggest that if M. calabura is grownin and around orchards, damage caused by C. sphinx tocommercial fruit crops may be decreased and thereforewould serve as a non-destructive method for managingremoval of commercial fruits by bats.

Key words:Cynopterus sphinx, orchards, bat damage, non-destructivecontrol, Muntingia calabura

Source:Acta Chiropterologica, 8(1): 239–245, 2006PL ISSN 1508-1109 © Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS

1Department of Biology, University of Haifa at Oranim, Tivon36006, Israel2Department of Animal Behaviour and Physiology, School of Biological Sciences,Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625 021,India. E-mail: [email protected]


Small mammals survey in BhutanTenzin*

The team briefing how to set up traps and to use the baits

The team briefing how to set up traps and to use the baits

*Species Management and Research Section,Wangchuck Centennial Park, Bumthang, Bhutan.E-mail: [email protected]

I attended the hands on field techniques training, and identification of small mammals in Sep2009. Immediately after the training I did an opportunistic survey of small mammals atWanghuck Centennial Park. I took advantage of my survey with a biodiversity survey where Iam working as Species Management and Research Section Head. In the field we had set upSherman traps for small mammals in three locations. In the first night we had set up ten trapsat Murtey. In the morning we caught three small mammals. The baits we used were peanutbutter, biscuits and fruits.


Handling of White Bellied Rat

Examining the White Bellied Rat

Tail length: 17.5cmBody length: 18cmWeight: 61 gmSex: FemaleWe also took the sample for DNAanalysis from the earLocation: Murtey

Tail length: 16cmBody length: 11.5cmWeight: 45 gmSex: FemaleWe also took the sample for DNAanalysis from the earLocation: Murtey


The Little Himalayan Rat

The Himalayan Water Shrew

Tail length: 6.5cmBody length: 8cmWeight: 34gmHind limb: 4cmSex: MaleWe also took the sample for DNAanalysis from the earLocation: Krasebee

Tail length: 15.5cmBody length: 11.5cmWeight: 11.5 gmHind limb: 3cmWe also took the sample for DNAanalysis from the earLocation: Murtey


Observing feeding behaviour of nocturnal creatureslike bats is very difficult unless we are equippedwith night-vision instruments. However, we werevery fortunate to observe the feeding techniques ofthe Short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx and theIndian Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus on the fruits ofFicus racemosa near the Police Headquarters inColaba, Mumbai, without the aid of any specialisedinstruments. Since the tree was located in an urbanarea, there was bright light which madeobservations easier with the naked eye. The treeproduced pink ripe fruits, numbering more than onethousand. Unlike other figs, the fruits are bornedirectly in the main trunk and other branches inbunches of 50-100. We could not collect anysystematic data as it was a sensitive area and wewere even questioned by sentries about ourintentions. So we just observed them for 15minutes for three days without pen or paper. Itprovided us valuable insights into the feedingbehaviour of the two fruit bat species.

Feeding BehaviourThe Short-nosed fruit bat maneuvered forsometime around the fruiting tree and then flewdirectly into a bunch of fruits and took a fruit in itsmouth and disappeared to feed on another tree. Itstayed in the fruiting tree only for a few seconds.All attempts to pluck fruit were not successful,some of them ended in failure. It picked up fruits atthe lower level, at about 2m from the ground andalways took the fruit away from the fruiting tree toeat. Some of them were taken into the Policecampus and some were eaten on trees along thepavement, such as Polyalthia longifolia andPeltophorum roxburgii. In contrast the Indian FlyingFox landed directly on the tree and crawled alongthe branches to reach the fruits. Once near thefruit it picked up a single fruit with its mouth,supported by one of its fore legs and started tofeed. It did not fly away with the fruit. It took 2-3bites to finish one fruit. The Indian Flying Fox wasalways found feeding a metre or two above theShort-nosed fruit bat and hence did not competewith the Short-nosed fruit bat for the fruit resource.But there was competition among Flying Foxes,there was constant squabbling and some of themwere even displaced from their feeding sites.

ImplicationsThis differential feeding behaviour of the two fruitbat species has one significant implication. TheShort-nosed fruit bat, by carrying the seeds awayfrom the fruiting tree, helps in dispersing the seedsof this species and thereby provides the seeds abetter chance to germinate. The Indian Flying Foxby dropping the seeds below the fruiting tree givesseeds little chance to survive. Seed and seedlingmortality are high below the parent tree and it is

always beneficial for the seeds to be carried awayfrom the parent plant (Janzen 1970). Thoughthese might be invalid in an urban environment, inthe wild these observations are very significant ashave been shown by some scientists (Howe 1987).

Conclusion and RecommedationsCasual observation around Colaba, reveal thatthere are lots of fig trees and fruit bats wereobserved feeding on them. From the conservationpoint of view we suggest that year roundobservations should be undertaken to bring outthe significance of figs for fruit bats in Colaba andthese plants should be given priority forconservation.

ReferencesHowe, H.F (1987). Consequences of seed dispersal bybirds: A case study from Central America. J. Bombay.Nat. Hist. Soc. 83 (Supplement): 19-42.Janzen, D.H (1970). Herbivores and the number oftree species in tropical forests. Am. Nat. 104: 501-528.

A Note on Feeding Habits of Fruit Bats in Colaba, Urban Mumbai, IndiaJ. Patrick David* and Vidyadhar Atkore**

*[email protected],**[email protected]


Training Report on Bat Capture, Handling and SpeciesIdentificationManjit Bist*

*Nepal Bat Conservancy,Pokhara, Nepal.E-mail:[email protected]

Handling a bat

Classroom session

“Bat Friends”, Pokhara, Nepal is anon-governmental, non-profit,volunteer organizationestablished in 2006 by studentsof the Institute of Forestry (IoF)with an aim of conserving batsand their habitat. This aim wasto be realized through researchand awareness programs, todisseminate information aboutbats to students as well ascommon people. Thisorganization has conducted manyprograms like speciesidentification, education,workshops, training, essaycompetition, articles, etc, indifferent sites in Pokhara Valleyas well as other parts of Nepal.

On 10th April 2010 “Bat Friends”organized a “Training on Batcapture, handling and speciesidentification”. The program wasconducted in two sessions; in thefirst session at IoF students weretrained and in the secondsession they were taken to thefield for field-based experience.The program intended to preparevolunteers from IoF (Institute ofForestry) who can later work inChiroptera research, awarenessand conservation.

Specific objectives were sharinginformation about bats, theirbehaviour and their habitats;training students to capture bats,handle them safely and identifythe species; sharing knowledgeabout the importance of bats inecosystem and biodiversity;encouraging students forconservation of bats and theenvironment.

Training from resource persons:The first session of the trainingprogramme was conducted at IoFfrom 7:30 am to 9:30 am. A totalof 60 participants and tworesource persons, Assoc. Prof.Raj Kumar Koirala, and Mr.Prakash S.Thapa attended.Training materials includedgeneral information about bats,diagrams, information ofmorphological parts, field data

sheets, etc, which weredistributed to participants. Dr.Raj Kumar Koirala’s topicincluded: Introduction to batsand its characters, Differencesbetween megachiroptera andmicrochiroptera, Bats globally andlocally, and the Importance andecological role of bats. Mr.Prakash S. Thapa spoke onCapturing techniques using mistnet and scoop net, Safe handlingtechniques for the captured bats,Measurement of various

morphological parts foridentification, Use of field datasheet and Use of variousinstruments necessary in fieldtrip.

In the second session,participants were taken toBirenda Cave located in Bhalam


Classroom session on Bat taxonomy

The group learning to take measurement of a bat in the field

Participants of the training

for a field based experience. TheGPS location of the cave entranceis; Lat: E 84000’15.1", Long: N28014’50.2" and Alt: 911m. Wereached the cave around noonand Prakash S. Thapa taughtabout cave dwelling bats whileManjit Bista related precautionsto be taken in caves to theparticipants.

Six groups, each containing tenstudents were formed and agroup was taken inside the cavefor observation of bats. Fourbats were captured inside thecave. The morphologicalmeasurements of the specimenswere taken and demonstrated tothe participants. The propermethod of filling the field datasheet was taught to theparticipants. They were taughtto identify the species of bat andfinally it was found that all thefour specimens were Rhinolophusaffinis.

Program outputThe 60 students who participatedin the training program weregiven detailed information onbats, their characteristics,importance and techniques forbat capturing, safe handling andspecies identification with a fieldbased experience. It is expectedthat the participants will be ableto identify species of bats withsafe handling after the captureduring bat related study andresearch.

This program motivated theparticipants to work for theconservation of bats, theirhabitat and the ecosystem. Theywere encouraged to disseminatetheir experience to the friends inIoF and also to the members ofthier family. One of theparticipants, Mr. Bimal Chandshared his experience like this, “Iam very excited and happy tosee bats living inside cave likethis. I was afraid at first but theydid not attack. I had never beenso close to bats and I touchedthere for the first time. I likethem now, they are wonderfulcreatures. We all should protectthem”.


Training Workshops in South Asia

Capture and handling a bat. Photo credit: Monica Picot Manuel

Group setting up mist netPhoto credit: Monica Picot Manuel

Email: [email protected]

The workshop on Bat Biology andConservation was conducted onFeb 23, 2010 at NCBS by the Co-ordinator, Mahesh Shankaran,NCBS and the collaborators,Leeds University, England.Participants totalled 17 studentsfrom India and one from Nepal.

The workshop began at 9am witha lecture by John Altringham,Leeds University, England on thelife history strategies, feeding androosting ecology of bats. Heintroduced us to the various batfeeding guilds viz., frugivores,nectarivores, insectivores andcarnivores and the relativeproportion of these batassemblages around the world.Different roosting sites are usedby bats. The Honduran white batuses Heliconia leaves, Bananaleaves are used by the Bananabats of Malawi, and the Short-nosed fruit bat uses theunderside of palm leaves. Thereare bats which roost in caves,abandoned buildings, temples,underside of bridges, tunnels etc.

Anita Glover, Leeds University,England talked about theecological role of bats as insectcontrollers, seed dispersers andpollinators. A south Americannectar feeding bat Anourafistulata, has the longest tongueamong bats (85mm, 150% of itbody length), specially designedto feed on flowers with long,narrow corolla tube. It wasrecently discovered in the cloudforests of Eucadorian Andes. Theflowers of Centropogon nigricansare pollinated only by A. fistulata,because of its long corolla (8-9cmlong). In China, the gene flow ina particular plant speciesincreased where nectar feedingbats were present.

An interesting point to emergewas that bats could also be seedpredators. The South AmericanChiroderma doriae and C. villosum

destroy fig seeds instead ofdispersing them.

John Altringham talked about thethreat to bats due todeforestation, fragmentation andhunting. Forest fragmentationdue to roads affects themovement of low flying batswhich hesitate to cross roads,even if they do, they aresometimes hit by vehicles. Thelittle Marianas fruit bat Pteropustokudae, an endemic species toGuam is now extinct, mostprobably due to hunting. The

numbers of another speciesMarianas fruit bat, Pteropusmariannus has been drasticallyreduced due to hunting by thenative Chamorro residents, as itis considered a delicacy. Thoughthis problem has now beencontrolled by legislation, nobodycould stop the introduced Browntree snake from feeding onjuveniles of P. mariannus. Thepopulation of P. mariannuscontinues to decline.

Report on one day workshop Bat biology and conservation” held at NationalCentre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore. February 23, 2010Patric David*


A participant handling a heterodyne bat detector

Mist netting practice at T.U. Coronationgarden forest

Participants of the training

*Small Mammals Conservation and ResearchFoundation, SMCRF, New Baneshwor, Kathmandu,Nepal. E-mail: [email protected]

Dr. Marimuthu of Madurai Kamaraj University gave ashort talk on “Prey detection and capture by theIndian False Vampire Bat”. The Indian False VampireBat is primarily an insect feeder but also takes smallvertebrates like frogs. It flies close to the ground(<1m) searching for prey moving among the leaflitter. If the prey remains stationary it is notdetected, but if it moves, the bat detects the soundand captures the prey. This hunting strategy wasrevealed through a serious of experimentsconducted ex-situ in a dark chamber. In one set ofexperiment frogs were tied with thread and pulledon a wet glass slide, the bat could not detect thefrog movement, as the pulling did not produce anysound. When frogs were pulled on dry ground(which produced sound), they swooped down onthe prey, took it to their roost site and swallowedthe prey head first.

The prey detection strategy in water was slightlydifferent. The bat was able to detect the frog onlywhen its head was above water. As the bat flewover the water, it produced ripples with its wings,which guided it to its prey. All these informationwas well complemented by moving images caught ina video camera.

Evening Session: Three mist nets were laid in alawn opposite to NCBS at 6pm. The first one wasthe largest and tallest (8mx8m). The nets were tiedto an aluminium pole and positioned perpendicularto the ground. Setting up the 3 nets took 45minutes. During this exercise 1 Pipistrelle sp and 2Cynopterus sphinx were captured. The sessionclosed at 7.30pm.

Small Mammals Conservation Club - CDES andCentral Department of Environment Sciences(CDES), Tribhuvan University (T.U.), Kathmandu,Nepal organized a one day training on “Basic BatHandling Techniques” on February 15, 2010. Theprogram was supported by Small MammalsConservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF).

Sixty masters-level students from the College ofApplied Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Satdobato,Lalitpur; School of Environment Management andSustainability (SchEMS), Pokhara University,Maharajgunj, Kathmandu; Khowpa College,Purbanchal University, Bhaktapur; CentralDepartment of Environment Science and CentralDepartment of Zoology, Tribhuvan University,Kirtipur, Kathmandu participitated in the training.

Chief Guest Mr. Shiva Raj Bhatta, Ecologist,Department of National Parks and WildlifeConservation inaugurated the training. Lectures onslides, demonstration of measuring bats withmuseum specimens, mist netting and bat detectorhandling practices in field were covered during thetraining session.

Report on One Day Training Workshop at Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Sanjan Thapa*


One day Workshop on Voucher Specimen Preparation of batsSanjan Thapa*

*Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation, SMCRF,New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal. E-mail:[email protected]

Measuring specimen

A specimen tied on a glass slab

On 13th April 2010 SmallMammals Club - CDZ and CentralDepartment of Zoology, TribhuvanUniversity jointly organized theone day workshop on VoucherSpecimen Preparation of bats atCDZ Laboratory, T.U, Kirtipur,Kathmandu. The programme wassupported by Small MammalsConservation and ResearchFoundation, SMCRF, NewBaneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal.Fifteen interested masters’ levelstudents from CDZ and CentralDepartment of EnvironmentSciences participated theworkshop. Wet specimenpreparation, labeling and skullpreparation was carried out. Theobjective of the workshop was topreserve the specimens forfurther detailed taxonomicstudies. Wet specimens of tenspecies namely: Pipistrellus sp.,Taphozous longimanus, Myotiscsorbai, Miniopterus schreibersii,Hipposideros cineraceus,Rhinolophus pusillus, R. affinis, R.luctus, Myotis nipalensis,Scotophilous heathii collected fromdifferent parts of Nepal bystudents of CDZ and members ofSMCRF, were prepared. The skullof Dawn Bat Eonycteris spelea(exralimital material excludingwings and tibiae) gifted by NepalChepang Federation, Kathmanduwas prepared. Labels weremade and attached to thespecimen. They were kept atCDZ Museum as well detailedrecords were filed at SMCRF.

Specimens were tied to glassslabs by threads and the labelwas prepared by writing shortinformation: (accession number,species name, sex, date andplace of collection), on tracingpaper with pencil. The label wastied to the top of the glass slabby thread. The specimen alongwith label was dipped into 500 mlplastic jar filled with spirit (70%alcohol). Before tying thespecimen to the glass slab theywere measured carefully thriceand all the measurements werenoted.

Participants at workshop


The preserved bat specimens stored at CDZ Museum

A part of CDZ Museum where preserved bat specimensare placed (pointed)

Prepared skull of Eonycteris spelaea

During the skull preparation, acut was made from the posterioredge of the mouth through thecheek. Skin was peeled off andmuscles were carefully removed.The skull covered with muscleswas boiled in simmering waterand again muscles were taken offand the skull was cleared. Theaccession number was written onthe skull with permanent Indianink marker. All the preservedspecimens and skulls will beregularly monitored by SMCRFand CDZ.

Acknowledgements:I would like to heartily acknowledgeMalcolm Pearch, Harrison Institute,Centre for Systematics andBiodiversity Research, Sevenoaks,Kent, England and Dr. Gabor Csorba,Deputy Director and Curator ofMammals, Hungarian Naural HistoryMuseum, Budapest, Hungary forproviding precious advice, guidanceand support.

Note: Collecting voucherspecimen for future research isessential and collections shouldbe properly preserved and madeavailable for anyone interested inbat research and for referencework. Moreover novices shouldnot do voucher collection since itis not a good practice.

A tagged specimen of R. affinis inside thebottle filled with spirit


Suborder YinpterochiropteraSuperfamily PteropodoideaFamily Pteropodidae1. Cynopterus sphinx (Vahl, 1797), Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat2. Eonycteris spelaea (Dobson, 1871), Dawn Bat3. Pteropus giganteus (Brünnich, 1782), Indian Flying Fox4. Rousettus leschenaultii (Desmarest, 1820), Leschenault’s Rousette5. Sphaerias blanfordii (Thomas, 1891), Blanford’s Fruit Bat

Superfamily RhinolophoideaFamily Rhinolophidae6. Rhinolophus affinis Horsfield, 1823, Intermediate Horseshoe Bat7. Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774), Greater Horseshoe Bat8. Rhinolophus lepidus Blyth, 1844, Blyth’s Horseshoe Bat9. Rhinolophus luctus Temminck, 1834, Great Woolly Horseshoe Bat10. Rhinolophus macrotis Blyth, 1844, Big-eared Horseshoe Bat11. Rhinolophus pearsonii Horsfield, 1851, Pearson’s Horseshoe Bat12. Rhinolophus pusillus Temminck, 1834, Least Horseshoe Bat13. Rhinolophus sinicus K. Andersen, 1905, Chinese Horseshoe Bat14. Rhinolophus subbadius Blyth, 1844, Little Nepalese Horseshoe Bat

Family Hipposideridae15. Hipposideros armiger (Hodgson, 1835), Great Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat16. Hipposideros cineraceus Blyth, 1853, Least Leaf-nosed Bat17. Hipposideros fulvus Gray, 1838, Fulvus Leaf-nosed Bat18. Hipposideros Pomona K. Andersen, 1918, Andersen’s Leaf-nosed Bat

Family Megadermatidae19. Megaderma lyra É. Geoffroy, 1810, Greater False Vampire

Suborder YangochiropteraSuperfamily EmballonuroideaFamily Emballonuridae20. Taphozous longimanus Hardwicke, 1825, Longed-winged Tomb Bat

Super family VespertilionoideaFamily Vespertilionidae21. Arielulus circumdatus (Temminck, 1840), Bronze Sprite22. Barbastella leucomelas (Cretzschmar, 1826), Eastern Barbastelle23. Eptesicus dimissus Thomas, 1916, Surat Serotine24. Eptesicus serotinus Schreber, 1774, Serotine25. Falsistrellus affinis (Dobson, 1871), Chocolate Pipistrelle26. Hesperoptenus tickelli (Blyth, 1851), Tickell’s Bat27. Ia io Thomas, 1902, Great Evening Bat28. Kerivoula hardwickii (Horsfield, 1824), Hardwicke’s Woolly Bat29. Kerivoula picta (Pallas, 1767), Painted Woolly Bat30. Murina aurata Milne-Edwards, 1872, Tibetan Tube-nosed Bat31. Murina cyclotis Dobson, 1872, Round-eared Tube-nosed Bat32. Murina huttoni (Peters, 1872), White-bellied Tube-nosed Bat33. Murina leucogaster Milne-Edwards, 1872, Rufous Tube-nosed Bat

An Updated Checklist of valid bat species of NepalSanjan Thapa*

*Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF), NewBaneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal. E-mail: [email protected]


34. Myotis blythii (Tomes, 1857), Lesser Mouse-eared Myotis35. Myotis csorbai Topál, 1997, Csorba’s Mouse-eared Myotis36. Myotis formosus (Hodgson, 1835), Hodgson’s Bat37. Myotis muricola (Gray, 1864), Nepalese Whiskered Myotis38. Myotis nipalensis (Dobson, 1871), Nepal Myotis39. Myotis sicarius Thomas, 1915, Mandelli’s Mouse-eared Myotis40. Myotis silingorensis (Horsfield, 1855), Himalayan Whiskered Myotis41. Nyctalus montanus (Barrett-Hamilton, 1906), Mountain Noctule42. Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774), Noctule43. Philetor brachypterus (Temminck, 1840), Short-winged Pipistrelle44. Pipistrellus coromandra (Gray, 1838), Coromandel Pipistrelle45. Pipistrellus javanicus (Gray, 1838), Javan Pipistrelle46. Pipistrellus tenuis (Temminck, 1840), Least Pipistrelle47. Plecotus homochrous Hodgson, 1847, Brown Big-eared Bat48. Plecotus wardi Thomas, 1911, Gray Big-eared Bat49. Scotomanes ornatus (Blyth, 1851), Harlequin Bat50. Scotophilus heathii (Horsfield, 1831), Greater Asiatic Yellow House Bat51. Scotophilus kuhlii Leach, 1821, Lesser Asiatic Yellow House Bat

Family Miniopteridae52. Miniopterus pusillus Dobson, 1876, Small Long-fingered Bat53. Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817), Schreiber’s Long-fingered Bat

Myotis sicarius. Photo by Sanjan Thapa.


Albinism is not rare among mammals in nature. Manyalbino mammals both in nature and captivity havebeen reported - Chinkara (Gazella g. bennatti)(Mohnot, 2006, pers. comm.), Common Mongoose(Tehsin and Chawra, 1994), Nilgai (Ranjitsingh,1987), Sloth Bear (Bharos, 1988), Rat-tailed Bat(Bhati, 1988), Palm Civet and Palm Squirrel (Sharma,2004) and many others. Albinism is a geneticdisorder and is caused by a single mutation whichprevents the formation of the pigment melanin.Melanism is another genetic disorder that has rarelybeen observed among mammals. Bahadur (1942)observed melanism through cross-breeding thenormal individual with the abnormal animal. Lateron Taibel (1945) gave the experimental explanationof albinism in mammals. We came across similarobservations in the wild in Five-striped SquirrelFunambulus pennanti. In 2005, an albino individualof Five-striped Squirrel (F1) was sighted (Mehra etal. 2007). On taking field records of the albinoindividual, we came to its parental history. One ofthe parents (male) was also albino, and lived fortwo years in the same residential areas. Thus, thecross between normal female with albino maleresulted into two normal and one albino male (F1)(Case 1). The albino male (F1) crossed with thenormal female and produced normal litter in thesubsequent generation (Case 2). Both the casesare presented in Figure 1.

If we assume that the normal female washomozygous (NN) with respect to its morphologicalcharacter of coat, and that ‘normal coat’ is dominantto an ‘albino coat’, we could only expect that theoffspring would all be like the normal typephenotypically, but genetically females areheterozygous (Nn) for coat colour. In the presentcase, the first generation has 2 normal (Nn) and onealbino (nn) siblings. This shows that female washeterozygous (Nn) in case 1. Due to this, one of thesiblings was albino (F1). In case 2, the female washomozygous thus producing normal coatheterozygous (Nn) siblings. It is interpreted that ifthe normal coat offsprings of heterozygous nature ofcase 2 cross with the albino individual, it would likelyto reproduce yet other albino individuals (Fig. 2).

Parents (Phenotypic pattern) Offsprings1. Normal (female) x Albino (male) 2 normal and

1 albino (F1)2. Normal (female) x Albino (male) 3 normal (F1)

Parents (Genotypic pattern) Offsprings3. Normal (female) (Nn) x Albino 2 normal (Nn)(male) (nn) and 1 albino

(F1) (nn)4. Normal (female) (NN) x Albino 3 normal (Nn)(male) (F1) (nn)

Interpretation for future generation5. Normal (female) (Nn) x Albino 50% normal(male) (nn) (Nn) and 50%

albino (nn)

AcknowledgementWe are thankful to the house owner Mr. Kumawat forrendering permission as well as helping in taking day today observations on the albino Five-striped Squirrel.

References:Bahadur, R. S. (1942). Black Panthers. J. BombayNat. Hist. Soc. 43(3): 519.Bharos, A. M. K. (1988). Albino Sloth Bear. J. BombayNat. Hist. Soc. 85(1): 187.Bhati, U. S. (1988). Occurrence of an albino Rat-tailedBat, Rhinopoma microphyllum leinneari Wroughton inthe Indian Desert. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 85(3): 608.Mehra, S. P., J. S. Kharwar & N. S. Kharwar (2007).Second record of albino Fivestriped Palm SquirrelFunambulus pennant Wroughton from Udaipur,Rajasthan. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 104(3): 2-3.Mohnot, S. M. (2006). The albino Chinkara in Dhava-Doli wildlife closed area near Jodhpur (Per. Comm.).Ranjitsingh, M. K. (1987). Unusual colouration ofNilgai, Boselaphus tragocamellus. J. Bombay Nat. Hist.Soc. 84(1): 203.Sharma, S. K. (2004). Occurrence of albino commonPalm Civet and northern Palm Squirrel in southernRajasthan. Zoos’ Print 19(5): 1483.Taibel, A. M. (1945). On experiment in albinism withChital (Axis axis). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 45(3): 417-419.Tehsin, R. and S. S. Chawra (1994). Albino commonmongoose (Herpestes edwardsii Geoffory) sighted near

Udaipur. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 91(2): 304-305.

Field Notes on albinism in Five-striped Palm Squirrel Funambuluspennanti Wroughton from Udaipur, Rajasthan, IndiaSatya Prakash Mehra1, Narayan Singh Kharwar2, Partap Singh3

1Corresponding author: [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]

Fig 1: Observations on breeding of albino

Fivestriped Squirrel

Fig 2: Predicted albino offsprings in wild References


Short Report on First One-day National Seminar on SmallMammals IssuesSagar Dahal* and Suchita Shrestha

Small Mammals Conservationand Research Foundation(SMCRF), New Baneshwor,Kathmandu, Nepal; Email:*[email protected];[email protected]; URL: http://www.smcrf.org

Technical Session of the Seminar in progress

Inaugural and introduction to the status of small mammal in Nepal

For Celebrating InternationalYear of Biodiversity 2010, theSmall Mammals Conservation andResearch Foundation (SMCRF), incollaboration with theDepartment of National Parksand Wildlife Conservation(DNPWC) organized the first one-day National Seminar on SmallMammals Issues, on May 15,2010 at the Local DevelopmentTraining Academy (LDTA),Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. The eventwas supported by HimalayanNature, Nepal Academy ofScience and Technology (NAST),National Trust for NatureConservation (NTNC) and RedPanda Network. Radio Kantipur96.1 MHz was associated as themedia partner.

The objectives of the seminarwere to:· gather researchers,conservationists andorganizations working in the fieldof biodiversity in Nepal;· disseminate achievements,opportunities and challenges inconservation and researchactivities on small mammals ofNepal;· update resource data on smallmammals of Nepal;· highlight the International Yearof Biodiversity through mediaparticipation.

Altogether 85 participantsaffiliated to different colleges,volunteers at SMCRF, and guestsparticipated the program. Theprogramme opened withwelcome, inauguration andintroduction of status of SmallMammals in Nepal.

The technical session includedfive different papers (presented)and four posters (displayed) onsmall mammal issues summarizedbelow.

Distribution and habitat of Lutraperspicillata in Narayani River,Chitwan National Park, ParashMani Acharya.

Site of the study was river banksat Gidha, Amaltari, Khana Khola,Tribeni Barrage. L. perspicillata isa robust and key indicatorspecies of aquatic ecosystem.The technique utilized for theresearch was observation oftracks and signs and theirmeasurement on the river banks.Signs of L. Perspicillata were seenin eleven different sites. Theresearch suggested the declineof fish to be the major threat tothe otter population, and causedby industrial pollution, grazing,and sand and boulder extractionas well as direct hunting andtrapping. The paper concludedwith recommendations for

monitoring of fish population,conservation of otter habitat anddetail study of the species.

Recent records of bats in Nepalwith notes on their taxonomicand ecological characters, SanjanThapa

Author reviewed Chiropterastudy in Nepal since Hodgson in1835. The review was done in


Species information through poster presentation

twenty districts including fournew districts. Seventeen specieswere identified. Themethodologies used in the studywere mist netting, roost survey,bat detector, populationestimation (in caves) andmorphometric measurement. Theresearch concluded thatRhinolophid bats were the mostrecorded and M. csorbai the mostthreatened among all batspecies. Recommendations werepreliminary survey, detailedsurvey and regular monitoring forpreparation of chiropterandatabase of Nepal.

Ethnozoology and Pangolinconservation awareness inhuman dominated landscape ofNepal, Prativa Kaspal

Pangolins are placentalmammals. The author gave anoverview of two types ofPangolins and they are Chinesepangolin, Manis pentadactyla,Indian pangolins, Maniscrassicaudata and their habitat inNepal, including general behaviorof this animal. The paper alsorelated the local use of differentbody parts of pangolin bydifferent ethnic groups. The studysite of the project has manytraditional medical shops in thevalley, four Wards of Balthali VDC,areas around and inside ChitwanNP, Suryapura and BishnupuraVDC of Lumbini district.Methodology included the fieldvisits, visit and interaction totraditional healers, shop owners,related vendors in the cities andquestionnaire survey. Alsoincluded in the methodology waspublic awareness activities suchas distribution of brochures andposters. Author noted the lack ofdata on Pangolins due to limitedresearch and conservation.Pangolins are facing threat ofextinction due to trade value formeat and use in traditionalhealing. Recommendations wereestablishment of reserves withinthe Pangolin’s habitats toprevent disturbances, control ofpoaching, forest fire, soil mining,funds for research and captivebreeding.

Population status, habitatutilization, distribution andconservation threats of HispidHare in Bardia National Park ofWestern Nepal, Promod Tandan

Author presented detailedliterature review of hispid hare(Caprolagus hispidus) which isfound in Suklaphanta WildlifeReserve only. The objective wasto determine the status, threatsand conservation issues of hispidhare in Bardia National Park,Nepal with secondary notationsof Pygmy hog which is believed tobe extinct. The study site of theresearch were Bardia NationalPark in Western Terai of Nepal; 4districts: Surkhet, Kailali, Bardia &Banke. The method of the studywas reconnaissance surveyfollowed by field survey,laboratory and data analysis andreport. Detailed methodologyincluded line transect, vegetationanalysis, soil sample collection,presence/absence survey ofPygmy hog and questionnairesurvey. Findings includedpresence of hispid hare in 7different grasslands and dietcomposition of 23 food plantspecies. The distribution ofhispid hare was found toincrease after burning,contradicting previous studies.The conclusions of the studieswere presence of hispid hare inBardia National Park and absenceof Pygmy hog. The study

reported 70% pellets found inisolated small groups with limiteddistribution (7 out of the 36patches.) Pellet density: 4.07/hain winter and 8.71/ha in summer.Preferred habitat: Proximity towater source, grassland areadominated by Sachharumspontaneum and Imperatacylindrica. Key threats: lowadaptability to the changingenvironment and lack of species-targeted management.Recommendations include morestudies on hispid hare, effectiveguidelines for preventing fires inPark, community awareness andsufficient equipment for the staff.

Legal Issues on Small MammalsConservation and Research inNepal, Buddi Sagar Paudel

Author listed animal speciesstatus from IUCN Red List andCITES, based on the paper onspecies overview, legalprovisions, current status,strategies, initiative, etc. Hedescribed strategies and workingpolicies of interim plan 2007-2010. According to NPWC Act1973, 27 mammals, 19 birds and3 reptiles are protected.Interference with any animalwithin Protected Areas isprohibited unless granted thewritten permission of anauthorized officer. The protectedsmall mammals of Nepal werebriefly introduced. A list ofProtected Areas management


plans were presented. Morethan 224 crore U.S. dollar spenton rhino, tiger, vulture, elephant,snow leopard for conservationand research purpose. Researchhas increased in Protected Areassince peace agreement betweenNepal and Maoist governments.Deficiencies of research on smallmammals were noted as shortduration study, species orientedresearches in endangeredanimals, lack of peer review, andpaucity of publications are theobstacles in conservationactivities. Author’srecommendations includedenactment of NPWC Act andRegulations, establishment ofProtected Areas, species-specificconservation action plans,management plans, and bufferzone initiatives for the protectionof small mammals. He alsosuggested collaboration andpartnership, enhancement ofinstitutional capacity, data

A paper presentation in progress

sharing and networking forimproved conservation of smallmammals.

The event received good mediacoverage from both radio, T.V.and print news. Someinstitutions represented included

Small Mammals Conservation andResearch Foundation, NepalAcademy of Science andTechnolohy (NAST, Department ofZoology (CDZ), TribhuvanUniversity, National Trust forNature Conservation (NTNC) andRed Panda Network Nepal.

Small Mammals Conservation andResearch Foundation, SMCRF,started its long-awaitedobjective: a communityawareness radio programmefrom 22nd January, 2010. SMCRFheartily acknowledges RuffordSmall Grants Foundation, UK forsponsoring it. The programme“Mammalian World” comes everyFriday 7:30 to 8:00 AM fromRadio Kantipur 96.1 and 101.8Mhz, leading FM in Nepal. Thisprogram includes informativeepisodes on small mammals witha particular focus on bats.Interactive programmes,interviews, news and reportingare other features of theprogram.

Rajesh Pandey, RJ Radio Kantipur and Suchita Shrestha, SecretarySMCRF during the program in KFM studio

Radio awareness ProgrammeSanjan Thapa*

*Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF), New Baneshwor,Kathmandu, Nepal. E-mail: [email protected]


Nagarjuna Cave is one of theimportant sites of the projectentitled, “Detailed monitoringsurvey of bats and theirconservation through radioawareness programme andoutreach programme to schoolchildren in Kathmandu Valley”.This is a small cave located at N27° 44' 43.7", E 85° 17' 39.4"and altitude 1373m withinShivapuri-Nagarjun National Park,along the Kathmandu-TrishuliHighway. The site is culturallyimportant to Tamang community.The surrounding area of the caveis a northward facing slopedominated by Schima wallichii(Chilaune), Alder Alnus nipalensis(Utis), Plum Prunus sp. (Payaun)and Chir Pine Pinus roxburghii(Raani Salla). Down there issettlement of Newar communityand agricultural lands. The sitewas visited from January 5-7,2010.

Day I.The five-member project teamreached the site in the lateafternoon. In the evening wewere busy for mist netting at thecave entrance. Bats in flightemerged early evening (5:37pm), with crowding at 5:43 pm.The first bat was netted at 5:58pm, second bat netted at 7:59,third netted at 9:40 pm.

The frequency determined were25 kHz, 60 kHz and 90 kHzrespectively. In the gap a fewbats hovered nearby the net,however, they were not caught.Meanwhile, captured bats weremeasured and photographed andimmediately released withoutgiving more stress to them. Fieldidentification was made on thebasis of reference (Bates andHarrison 1997) tally.

The three individuals wereconfirmed to be three separatespecies namely Big-earedHorseshoe Bat Rhinolophusmacrotis, Greater Horseshoe BatR. ferrumequinum andIntermediate Horseshoe Bat R.

Small Mammals Conservationand Research Foundation, NewBaneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal*[email protected]

Report on field study at Nagarjuna Cave by SMC RF research teamRameshwor Ghimire, Robin Rana, Narayan Lamichhane, Kastuv Raj Neupane, Sanjan Thapa*

Weighing captured bat

Rhinolophus macrotis

affinis, respectively. We packedthe net at 10:00 pm. We couldn’trecord Least Horseshoe Bat R.pusillus and also didn’t hear thesound of Cicada as usual.

Day II.Late in the morning we could seecrowds at Paanidhara, in thesettlement area down the cave.

Some of them were collectingdrinking water; some werebathing and washing clothes.We made a scheduled surveythere. We continued thescheduled survey in households


Rhinolophus ferrumequinum

Rhinolophus affinis

of the Newar community. Wequestioned people from schoolchildren to elder persons of thecommunity. They knew quiet a bitabout bats and their importance.

As we continued to investigate,we came to know that this wasthe positive result from our SmallMammals Conservation andResearch Foundation havingdisplayed the board at the cave.At 2:00 pm we stopped thescheduled survey for lunch andafterwards, we contacted schoolfor the lectures to schoolchildren. Unfortunately, wecouldn’t carry on the programmebecause school vacation was inprogress. Before the evening weset a mist net across a smallstream. We could see bats flyingafter 5:42 pm.

The heterodyne bat detectordetected echolocation callsranged from 25 kHz to 90 kHz.We were unable to capture batsthis night and we packed our netat 8:45 pm.

Day III.We started roost searching fromthe late morning in theNagarjuna forest. We hiked forthree hours but couldn’t findgood roosts in trees (hollows) orbats. Before lunch we againvisited the cave. Three teammembers went caving in searchof bats deep inside the cave (upto 400m length). Two of usfocused a light and searched batcolonies (R. pusillus) at the upperheight of the cave just fewmeters inside of the entrance.We couldn’t find them. Also wecouldn’t see bat droppings. Weleft the site with a plan to re-visitduring the second phase of theproject.

AcknowledgementsWe acknowledge Rufford SmallGrants Foundation, UK forfinancial support to the projectand to Prof. Dr. Paul A. Racey fordonating a mist net andcontinuous support and advice.We are grateful to Dr. SaralaKhaling, Regional Co-ordinator,Eastern Himalayas, CEPF; Dr. B.A. Daniel, Scientist, ZOO, India

and Associate Prof. Dr. Nanda Bdr.Singh, Central Department ofZoology, Tribhuvan University,Kirtipur for strongrecommendations for the project.We express special thanks toMrs. Geeta Shrestha, Chair,NATURE, Kathmandu for donatingthe bat detector, and Rajesh Goitfor donating a GPS.


Ed. Note: This article is the FinalReport, Rufford Small Grant ProjectRef. No. 06.08.07, 1 – 67, heavilyedited for this newsletter. Bothauthor and grant maker agree topublication of this report in SmallMammal Mail. Constraint of spacehas forced us to leave out theillustrations and diagrams. Theauthority is prepared to sendanyone who so desires anelectronic copy of the report in PDF.

SummaryBats as pollinators, seeddispersers and insect predatorsare keystone species inecosystems. Potential habitat androosting sites of bats in Jodhpurregion, a chiropteran diversityhotspot in Thar Desert is facingserious threat due to increasinganthropological pressures. Myrecent study shows four speciesof bats and various roosts havevanished over the last twodecades and many more arefacing serious threat. People areunaware of the ecological role ofbats and consider them as a badomen. Conservation of batdiversity in this area is one of thecore ecological priorities. There isan urgent need to raise batconservation awareness amonglocal communities, throughsensitizing them about theirecological significance.

The Rufford Small GrantFoundation provided financialsupport to undertake here aproject entitled “Status surveyand conservation educationcampaign: a communityparticipation approach to protectbats in the Thar Desert, India”.

The objectives of this projectwere,i. to undertake intensive survey ofexploring the bat roosts in thelimits of Jodhpur district of theThar Desert andii. to identify the species of batsinhabited therein;iii. to undertake a batconservation education campaign

consisting ofa. teaching ecological significanceof batsb. uprooting existing myths aboutbats among local people andc. educating policy makers aboutthe ecological significance of bats.

The project was executed fromJanuary 2008 to September 2009.A total of 96 bat roosts belongingto 9 species, 2 megachiropteranand 7 microchiropteran, wereexplored in the limits of Jodhpurdistrict.

Beside Jodhpur city total of 87settlements (town/villages/dhanis) were visited for batconservation education campaign.Lectures themed of ecologicalsignificance, nature and diversityof bats in the Thar Desert weredelivered in 5 colleges, 55 schools(53 co-ed. and 2 girl’s school), 15village Panchayat Bhavans and 45small gathering at differentdestinations. Fifteen schoolswere short listed near prominentbat roosts in the study area andmotivated to formulate a bat club.

To create conservationawareness and to educate localsabout ecological significance of

Status survey and conservation education: communityparticipation to protect bats in Thar Desert, IndiaK. R. Senacha*

*41, Surya Colony, Near Poly-technic College, Residency Road,Jodhpur, Rajasthan - 342 001.Email: [email protected] [email protected]

bats total of 6500 pieces ofinformative educational materialon scientific facts about bats ofthis region (500 big size, 500medium size posters/4000postcards/1500 pamphlets) weredistributed among target groupsduring this campaign. Theresponse of campaignparticipants and audiences wereoverwhelming. Of the targetedspectators more than 98% wereunaware of ecological significanceof bats whereas 70-80% werestrongly believed in prominentmyths like bats attack furiously onhuman nose and consider themas sign of sin. They admitted thefact that because of poorknowledge about its ecologicalsignificance presence of bats nearhuman settlements has neverbeen appreciated; rather theyhave always been misunderstoodby the locals in this region.Therefore in many instances, batsbecome victims and their roostshave been debilitated by ignorantpeople.

A mix colony of Rhinopoma microphyllum kinneari andRhinopoma hardwickii roosting inside Mandore Tunnel roost

located at Mandore garden, Jodhpur


Through interview, discussion andlectures participants of thiscampaign updated theirknowledge about bats. Uponlearning about the ecologicalsignificance and natural facts theyrealized that bats are quite usefulcreatures and play important roleto insure good health of anecosystem. They seemed quiteexcited upon discarding their fearof bats attacking human nose andits image as sign of sin and getconvinced that because of theirecological role bats should beconsidered as friends. Theyappreciated bat awarenessactivites in the project and wereimpressed Rufford Small GrantFoundation to fund this project.

Project ObjectivesThe objectives of this projectwere as under:1. To explore the bat roosts inJodhpur district of the Thar Desertby undertaking an intensivesystematic survey.2. To find out the speciescomposition of bats at surveyedroosting sites.3. Assessment of threats to batroosts in the study area.4. To eliminate existing mythsabout bats among locals in thestudy area through undertaking abat conservation awarenesscampaign.5. To provide a detailed report onstatus of bats in Jodhpur to stateforest department such that batsget reasonable attention inupcoming wildlife managementplan of government in this region.

Materials and methodsTo accomplish the objectives ofthis project following material andmethods were used:1. Survey of bat roosts2. Identification of bat species3. Bat conservation awarenesscampaign

Observations and results(A)Survey and assessment ofbat roosts:A sum of nine species of bats, 7microchiropterans and 2megachiropterans were reportedfrom Jodhpur district of the TharDesert during this investigationfrom their 89 active roosts. Of

A colony of Blyth’s Horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus lepidus roostinginside a Daijar Mata Mandir cave, Jodhpur.

A maternity colony of Egyptian Tomb bat, Taphozous perforatus atMandore tunnel roost located at Mandore garden, Jodhpur


Hibernating colony of Rhinopoma microphyllum kinneari roosting atMandore tunnel roost, Jodhpur

the 19 bat roosts reported earlierfrom this area, from 1960 to2007, seven were found desertedcompletely while other five haveseen depletion in number ofspecies inhabited there. Besidethis we explored 77 new batroosts (3 megachiropterans and74 microchiropterans) from thisstudy area.

Species composition atmicrochiropteran roosts variedsignificantly from prevailingcongregation of Greater Mouse-tailed bat, Rhinopomamicrophyllum kinneari and LesserMouse-tailed bat, Rhinopomahardwickii to solitary roosts ofeach species. We have observedthe co-existence of Rhinopomamicrophyllum kinneari, Rhinopomahardwickii, Taphozous perforatusand Rhinolophus lepidus at someof the roosts. However, at oneroost in Tinwari fourmicrochiropteran species,Rhinopoma microphyllum kinneari,Rhinopoma hardwickii, Taphozousperforatus, Taphozous nudiventrisand a megachiropteran species,Cynopterus sphinx were found toroost together.

Occupancy estimates revealedthat Rhinopoma microphyllumkinneari is the most commonamong microchiropterans followedby Rhinopoma hardwickii,Taphozous nudiventris, Taphozousperforatus, Rhinolophus lepidus,Pipistrellus tenuis and Scotophilusheathii prevailing respectively;but, Pteropus giganteus foundabundant than Cynopterus sphinxamong megachiropterans.

Based on regular monitoring ofsome selected sites, temporalfluctuations in population sizewere observed in six of the sevenmicrochiropterans. Population ofRhinopoma microphyllum kinnearideclined significantly in latesummer whereas Rhinopomahardwickii population showed aspike during the same time.Rhinolophus lepidus and Taphozousperforatus populations declinedgradually from winter to summerand remaining stable thereafter,but no significant fluctuationswere observed in Taphozous

nudiventris and Scotophilus heathiipopulations. It shows that someof the microchiropteran speciesperforms local migration to eitherovercome the effect of seasonalchanges in microclimaticparameters of their roosts or toaccommodate with foodabundance, while others do not.Due to difficult roost access wecould not study trend onpopulation fluctuation inPipistrellus tenuis.

As far as breeding of bats in thestudy area is concern, mating inPteropus giganteus was observed

in months of October andNovember, whereas parturitionwas observed in March and April.They found to deliver one pupand just after parturition thenewborn hold position in mother’sventral body part by gripping herin head to head direction. Matingin Rhinopoma microphyllumkinneari and Rhinopoma hardwickiioccurs in March and April,whereas parturition takes place inJuly and August. These toodeliver single pup and remainattached to the ventral bodyparts of mother in head to taildirection. Parturition in Taphozous

Students of Government Primary School, village Sirda in FalodiTahseel while posing with posters of bats after hearing informative

lecture on bats by Principal Investigator of the project


Farmers collecting guano of microchiropteran bats to usein crop field as a bio-fertilizer

perforatus was observed in Mayand June, but we could notconclude their mating time. Mostdelivered females of this specieswere seen with single pups butfew others were sighted to carrytwo pups, possibly the twins. Thedirection of attachment of pups totheir mother was head to head.Mating in Taphozous nudiventriswas usually observed in Marchand April, but some pairs seen tobe mounting in July and August.Parturition in this species wasobserved in July and August andpups found attached to mother inhead to head direction.Parturition in Scotophilus heathiiwas observed in June and July,but their mating time could not bestudied. Most delivered femalesseen with single pups, butremaining carried twins attachedto mother’s ventral body parts inhead to head direction. However,parturition in Rhinolophus lepiduswas observed in May and June,period of mating could not bedefined. Delivered females werefound to carry single pupattached to their ventral bodypart in head to tail direction. Wecould not observe breedingactivities in species of Cynopterussphinx and Pipistrellus tenuis.

Megachiropteran species,Pteropus giganteus found roostedon the seven species of trees viz.,Ficus bengalensis (Banyan), Ficusreligiosa (Peepal), Azadirachtaindica (Neem), Syzygium cumini(Jamun), Albizia lebeck (Sares),Saraca asoca (Ashoka) andPithecellobium dulce (Vilaiti Imaly),but Cynopterus sphinx were foundroosted in deserted historicalbuildings like Havelies. Themicrochiropteran species viz,Rhinopoma microphyllum kinneari,Rhinopoma hardwickii, Taphozousperforatus, Taphozous nudiventrisand Rhinolophus lepidus are foundroosted in the segregatedlocations of deserted public wells(Pisaca’s), stepwells (Bhavadi’s)unattended ruined buildingstructures, under roofs of mudhouses, manmade tunnels,temples and natural caves,whereas Pipistrellus tenuis wasfound roosted in deep darkcrevices in concrete and mud

walls of building’s or rocks. Incontrast to all these, theScotophilus heathii found to roostsin the hollow spaces under dryfoliage of palm trees.

Comparative analysis of data fromcurrent investigation to that withdata from studies conducted inpast from 1960 to 2007 revealedthat seven bat roosts reportedearlier have been deserted ordestroyed completely in duecourse of time. Of the nineprominent microchiropteranroosts reported in recent past(Senacha, 2003) two, Shrinathjikee Haveli at Mahamandir andKrishna Nagar at New Pali Road inJodhpur have became abandonedfollowing the renovation activitiesand public intervention in duecourse of time. While significantdepletion is observed in speciescomposition and populations atother seven microchiropteranroosts. Two roosts ofmegachiropteran species,Pteropus giganteus, the Rail Sadanand the Balsamand Gardenreported earlier by Senacha(2003) have also seenremarkable depletion in theirpopulations. Microchiropteranspecies, Rhinolophus lepidusreported earlier co-existing withother three of themicrochiropterans at Mandore

tunnel roost in Jodhpur bySenacha (2003) found missing inthis investigation. The species iscomparatively timid toanthropological disturbances andmight have moved out followinggeneration of frequent vibrationsthrough regular dynamite earthblasts in near by stone mines.Earlier, this roost wascomparatively far from the stonemining sites but now this distancehas been reduced with expansionin mining area.

Wild growth of the tree ofProsopis juliflora at openings ofmicrochiropteran roosts is uniquebut severe threat at least tospecies of Rhinopomamicrophyllum kinneari, if not toothers. Purohit et al. (2002) werefirst to report the death ofindividuals of Rhinopomamicrophyllum kinneari byentangling in thorns of Prosopisjuliflora, grown in close proximityof their roost openings. Thefindings are further supported byobservations of Senacha (2003).We have also come across similarobservation of death ofRhinopoma microphyllum kinneariindividuals, by entangling inthorns of Prosopis juliflora, atsome sites explored during thisstudy.


However, considering the fact thatRhinopoma microphyllum kinnearipossess power of echolocation, itmust not fail to detect presenceof Prosopis twigs and thorns.Interestingly though othermicrochiropteran species co-existsin same roosts none of theirindividuals were found trapped inProsopis thorns. Theseobservations have raised aquestions mark on potential ofecholocation ability of Rhinopomamicrophyllum kinneari. It seemseither echolocation powerbecome weak in some unhealthyor old individuals or be startmalfunctioning temporarily incertain physiological oratmospheric conditions, leadingthis short of unique causalities.To unearth the exact fact behindthis phenomenon detailedinvestigation is required onecholocation capabilities ofindividuals of this species.

Electrocution reported earlier inPteropus giganteus by Purohit andSenacha (2003) and Senacha(2003) is quite common in thisarea and similar incidents werereported during this study. Total28 individuals of this species werefound dead due to electrocutionat various feeding locations in thisstudy area. Analysis of datarevealed that most of theseincidents took place, near thetrees of Ficus religiosa (Peepaltree) planted road sides, on theopen electricity wires installed forroad lights or electricity supply tothe houses. Individuals ofPteropus giganteus use eye visionand sense of smell to find theirway while foraging as they lackspower of echolocation. Whileapproaching to feed on Ficusreligiosa fruits and foliageindividuals of this speciessometime fails to detect electricitywires located in proximity offeeding trees and hit themincidentally falling prey ofelectrocution. Though it is quiteexpensive and difficult task toeither replace open electricitywires to coated cables or displaceelectricity line from proximity oftheir feeding trees or switch on tounderground electricity system,these are the only possible

options to overcome with thisshort of problem.

Microchiropteran roosts located inpremise of ancient Forts andHavelies are prone to face threatof renovation. As these buildingsare quite old their authorities arein process of renovation at mostof the sites. We thereforeapproached the concernauthorities and tried to convincethem to not to disturb roosts ofbats. However some were quitepositive other seemed bitreluctant in lieu of the otherbenefits out of renovations.Majority of microchiropteranpopulations in rural areas roostsin unattended public or personalwells used traditionally to sourceground water for drinking,irrigation and household purpose.Ground water level recededdrastically over the time in thisarea and most of the wellsbecome dry and useless, but,they serve as preferred and saferoosts for microchiropterans.Drinking water is supplied now bymunicipality pipelines in most ofthe villages while others opted tosource ground water by tubewells or hand pumps. Therefore,dried wells, serving as roosts formicrochiropterans, are no longer

appreciated by villagers in manyplaces. To avoid any possibilitiescausality of animals and childrenfalling in these deserted wellspeople have sealed themcompletely in some places andothers have intension to do or fillthem completely with debris andsoil.

An emerging threat forchiropterans in this study area isestablishment of wind energyfarms at various locations thatcomprises of installation of largenumber of windmills. Around 250windmills have already beeninstalled in different locations andmany more are underway ofinstallation. Windmills haveproven dangerous claiming life ofbats in many other partsworldwide. The reason behindshort of incidents is that runningwindmills located in series createdangerous zones of lowatmospheric pressure. Whenbats enter this zone whileperforming foraging activities theirblood pressure began fallingrapidly and leads to failure ofblood circulatory system, resultinginto their death (Arnett, 2005).To minimize the short of expectedincidents one has to initiateproper investigation on this issue

Dr. Senacha while teaching young students aboutbats at Sagi ki Bhakari


and suggest proper damagecontrol measures to the concernauthorities.

(B) Bat conservation educationcampaign:As mentioned earlier people inthis area have beenmisunderstanding bats over lastmany generations and considerthem as evil and sign of sin. Theyalso believe in myth of batattacking human nose. Whilecampaigning we have deliveredlectures and demonstrationsabout nature and significance ofbats to children, students, youthsand elders living in many of theurban and rural settlements ofthe study area. This exercise ofbat campaign has helped manylocals to sweep out existingmyths on bats from their mindsand turned them a lifelongadmirer of bats. It is thusbelieved that these people willplay key role in imparting rightmessage to remaining publicabout nature and prevailingbenefits of species of batsthriving in this area. Initiated batclubs will be the source to teachthe future generations aboutbats. By this way existing mythsabout bats from public mindwould sweep out completely overthe period of time and with theirchanged attitude people will startappreciating existence of bats inthis area. Thus initiative of batconservation through this projectwill flourish well and would beconsidered ahead a milestoneachievement in field of wildlifeconservation in this area.

RecommendationsBased upon the observations ofthis study following are therecommendations to conserve theroosts and species diversity ofbats in Jodhpur of the TharDesert.

1. Myths about nature of bats aredeep rooted among locals.However, bat conservationcampaign played significant roleto uproot bat myths and updateknowledge about significance ofbats among locals, efforts arefurther required to ensure thatthis message persuade

thoroughly tomaximum number ofpeople and theirfuture generations.To ensure this,constant efforts arerequired to educatepeople throughmeans of articles inlocal newspapers,repeating series oflectures in schools,colleges andgatherings atsettlements (towns/villages/dhanies) induecourse of time.

2. Majority of bats inJodhpur rural roostsin traditional publicwells (Pisaca) usedto source groundwater. Most ofthese wells arerunning out ofdrinkable water andare not in use now.These, therefore,face a threat ofeither seals themcompletely or levelsthem with soil toavoid possibilities ofanimals and childrenfalling in accidentally.It is therefore of vitalimportance thatconcern authorities ofthese wells be approachedand convinced to not to levelthem, but be allowed to sealpartially in such a way that acomfortable opening be left forbats to make in and out momentwhile foraging.

3. Chiropteran roosts located inancient monuments like Forts andHavelies are prone to face threatof renovation. Therefore,constant efforts are required toconvince the concern authoritiesto avoid probable damage tothese bat roosts. If comfortable,they can be further bettereducated about importance anddiversity of species of batsinhabited in roosts, located intheir premise, and be encouragedto make it a wildlife spot to showto visitors. But, they should only

be permitted if they follow thewildlife regulatory norms.

4. Local wildlife department mustbe chased to rationalize theirefforts to include bats in theirconservation priorities. Currentlybats are in low profile and not intheir conservation priority list.

5. Study area should regularly bereinvestigated in due course oftime to assess status of diversityof bats and to evaluate theimpact of conservation measuresinitiated in this study.

6. Similar approach of studyingbats and efforts to create batconservation awareness is wellrequired in other parts of the TharDesert, such that a wider

Individuals of Pteropus giganteuscongregated over the trunk of tree of

Pithecellobium dulce (Vilaiti Imaly) to over-come the effect of heat waves during hot

afternoon of a summer day


objective of conservation of batsin this unique ecosystem beachieved.

Future PlanFollowing is my future plan toconserve diversity of bat in theThar Desert.1. I would try to promote andensure fruitful functioning of thebat clubs instituted in the studyarea, such that they achieve theirobjectives of imparting batconservation awarenesseducation and to inculcate senseof appreciation about bats amongyounger and future generations.2. To achieve wider objectives ofconservation of bats in the TharDesert, I would write some moreproject proposals and try thatsimilar types of studies areundertaken and bat conservationawareness programme belaunched in remaining parts of theThar Desert.3. I would also try to produce adocumentary film on bats of theThar desert, which would beinstrumental in imparting batconservation education andstrengthen the future initiativesof bat conservation awareness

programme in this region.4. Initiatives of communityconservation have been quitesuccessful and a proven tool toprotect various wildlife species inthis region. I therefore wouldtarget prominent communityleaders to educate them aboutsignificance and facts on bats,and would try to convince themthat bats are the symbol ofprosper and healthy ecosystem.Then would request them toadvertise and impart thismessage among their communityfollowers such that they startprotecting bats.5. I would write popular articlesand try to ensure that informationon bats be frequently published inlocal newspapers, such thatreaders be updated about statusof bats in their region.6. I would appreciate to assistlocal forest department inproviding scientific information onbats and in future batconservation initiatives taken ontheir behalf, if required.

AcknowledgementOn behalf of the project team firstand foremost I express our

A mix colony of Rhinopoma microphyllum kinneari and Rhinopoma hardwickii roostingon the fort walls of Chakelav well at Mehrangarh fort premise, Jodhpur

sincere gratitude to The RuffordSmall Grant Foundation, UK forproviding full financial support toundertake this project work. Iextend my especial thanks to Ms.Jane Raymod (Director, RuffordSmall Grant) for her cooperationthroughout the projectimplementation period. Ipersonally extend my word ofgratitude to Prof. G. Marimuthu(Head, Department of AnimalBehaviour and Physilogy, MaduraiKamraj University, Madurai, India),Dr. Paul Bates (Director, HarrisonZoological Museum, Kent,England) and Dr. ShahroukhMistry (Associate Professor,Biology Department, WestminsterCollege, New Wilmington, PA,USA) for their letter ofrecommendation and valuableguidance to execute this project.


Bat Conservation begins in PakistanMuhammad Mahmood-ul-Hassan*

*Associate Professor, Depart-ment of Wildlife and Ecology,UVAS, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail:[email protected]

Dr. Mahmood and Mr. Arshad teaching the studentshow to fold and unfold the mist nets

Female post-graduate students erecting mist nets

The idea of bat conservation isalmost unheard of in Pakistan.Bats are totally ignored by thegovernment and civicorganizations and even by mostconservationists.

Few Pakistani know much aboutbats, and most of what theyknow is wrong and usuallydamaging. Bats are mostlymisunderstood and largelyunwelcomed in most of thiswildlife-rich country.

It was in 2004, when I heardthat the India-based ChiropteraConservation and InformationNetwork of South Asia (CCINSA)and its founder, BCI South AsiaLiaison Sally Walker, hadaccepted an invitation tocoordinate and led aConservation Assessment andManagement Plan (CAMP)workshop for Pakistan Mammal atLahore in collaboration with IUCNPakistan. I had recently joinedthe University of Veterinary andAnimal Sciences, Lahore at thattime and was not known toanyone in the conservationcircles of Pakistan. So I could notattend that workshop.

Later when I went through theproceedings of that CAMPworkshop, I came to know thatthere was not a single batbiologist in Pakistan. Keeping inmind this situation, I startedtaking interest in bats andthought to play a leading role inbat conservation in my country.At first, I requested MadamWalker to organize another battraining workshop at Lahorewhere I could host her from theplatform of my Universityproviding here some partialfunding to hold this workshop.Keeping in mind, my level ofinterest she invited me to attenda training workshop at Nepalwhere I was able to learn fieldtechniques for studying bothVolant and non-Volant smallmammals. This workshop was aturning point in my career where

I learnt non-lethal techniques forstudying both bats and rodentsfrom Prof. Dr. Paul A. Racey andMike Jordan, respectively.

Prof. Dr. Racey took specialinterest to refine my projectproposal for studying bats inPakistan. It was only due to hisencouragement and support,that in 2008 I could win the firstbat project in Pakistan. TheHigher Education Commission ofPakistan further supported me byproviding funds to obtain a threemonths’ training in Bat Ecology

and Bioacoustics Laboratory,School of Biological Sciences,Bristol, UK.

I feel honored to state that Ihave worked for some time withProfessor Dr. Gareth Jones in hisLaboratory at the University ofBristol. He taught me basictechniques for recording batsounds and their analysis. He


One of the female trainee finally stopped hesitatingand took the initiative

also taught me moleculartechniques for analyzing bat’sDNA. It was only due to untiringefforts that we could compile thefirst book on bats of Pakistanthat was later published by theVerlag Dr. Muller, Germany.

While I was in his laboratory, Iapplied to the Rufford SmallGrants, UK to provide me fundsfor studying bats as well aseducating other people about theimportance of bats. I was luckyenough that I got this fundingand after returning back toPakistan I had everything withme to work as leading batbiologist of the country. Again, Irequested Madam Walker toprovide me literature foreducating school children whichshe very kind to sent me within afew days. I translated thisEnglish literature into Urdu andgot it published locally.

At the moment I along with Ms.Bushra Khan, Zoo EducationOfficer at Lahore Zoo, havedistributed this literature to morethan 400 school children. Wehave concentrated our efforts onchildren, hoping that an earlyappreciation and understandingof bats might produce lifelongchanges in attitudes towardthese invaluable mammals. Ouroverriding message:conservation is the responsibilityof all of us who share this Earth.

Our teams take school studentsto bat-roosting areas, where wefamiliarize them with bats’physical features and theirroosting and foraging needs. Wehelp the youngsters identifythreats to bats and suggestways in which they and theirfamilies and communities canimprove things. We encouragedthem to share their newknowledge with classmates andfamilies.

In addition to impartingconservation education to schoolchildren, I am helping otheruniversity teachers to initiate batresearch at their owninstitutions. Dr. Muhammad SajidNadeem, Assistant Professor at

Department of Zoology,University of Arid Agriculture,Rawalpindi is another batenthusiast who has initiated batresearch at his own University.We have a small group ofstudents working with us onvarious aspects of bat biology.

Three of my M. Phil. studentshave already earned their post-graduate degrees on bat biologywhile two others are underway.Five of my Ph. D. students arealso working on different aspectsof bat biology.

Recently, I arranged a two daysworkshop for imparting bateducation at Govt. Post-graduateCollege Gojra. The students notonly learnt the field techniques

for capturing and handling bats,they also attended lecturesabout the importance of bats,taxonomy and identification, andrecording and analysis of batsounds. Mr. Suhail, Mr. Khalid andMr. Aun along with their Head ofDepartment took keen interest tolearn these techniques. Theywere convinced that from nowonward, their students will alsostudy bats for fulfilling theirresearch requirements. Theywere also very keen to purchaseall the field and laboratoryequipment needed for studyingbats.

Dr. Mahmood showing students how to capture bats in their hand


*Country Representative -IUCN SSC ChiropteraSpecialist Group CGS; Coordinator - NaturalResources Research and Conservation Center(NaReCon) [email protected]**Joint Secretary - Natural Resources Researchand Conservation Center (NaReCon)

Research and Conservation Awareness of Bats in Palpa Districtof NepalHari Adhikari* and Laxmi Karki**

Field survey

Conservation of biodiversity is not possible if thepresent generation is not aware of its meaning andsignificance. Children and young adults are thedecision-makers for future. With the objective ofpreparing them, a large awareness campaign wasconducted in Nepal using mass and printed mediawith the funds provided by Chester Zoo. A seriesof activities were conducted in Palpa District ofWestern Nepal to conserve roosting sites of somespecies of bats. Scientific knowledge about thisspecies was conveyed to the lay people in simpleterms.

Nepal is high biodiversity country but has fewresearchers of a technical level to work on differentaspects of biodiversity. To minimize this problem,15 individuals were trained at the Institute ofForestry for safe handling of bats and identificationtechniques. Six of them were taken to PalpaDistrict for intensive work on this important animalgroup. Since these are delicate animals,technicians with mist-net experience or bat-handling experience were given preference forhiring as assistants. These 6 individuals werefurther trained to best placement of nets, safehandling techniques, correct measurements,species identification, field guide use, and inaddition trips to University museums to discussdefining species characteristics. Palpa district liesin hilly region with elevation range 200-2000mabove sea level. The Southern part of this districtacts as a corridor for large mammals like elephant,tiger, bear, etc. Small mammals like Bat had beenignored even by the government authorities andwildlife department. So an attempt was made toknow the species richness, roosting sitesdistribution and identify threats in and around theirterritory.

Radio programmes were developed to reachmillions of people in and around the district to knowthe roosting sites of bat species. Altogether 5episodes of 30 minutes each were prepared. Verybasic to advanced information about differentaspects of bats was broadcasted in sequence. Thefirst episode conveyed very basic information onthe external characters and ecological role of batsin the environment including agriculture. Feedbackfrom listeners was collected, such as informationabout caves, tree roosting bats and places wherethere is occurrence of bats. This information wassorted out and field visits were made. At the sametime, articles were published in local newspapers toreach educated people. Remote localities werevisited to identify bat species. Interviews wereconducted with the local people to learn theirknowledge of different roosting sites of bats. InArgali V.D.C, most of the people related that

formerly a huge roost of Pteropus giganteus existedin their locality but eight years ago their numberdecreased due to death by electric shock fromelectricity poles when they rest upside down andtouched two wires. Later the whole colonydisappeared from that location. Recorded interviewclips of local people were also included in theprogram to make the program lively so that peoplewere more interested to hear the program. Theprogram was developed at the field level, includinginformation on features of the caves and thethreats to the bat species in the past. Directobservations were discussed. A small gift weregiven to the local people who gave the informationof the roosting sites. After species identificationfrom the caves this information was broadcasted inthe next episode. A further 4 episodes coveredfacts about caves, species identified, species


Training in handling of bats and identification

Research team interviewing local public

characters, their feedingbehavior, the positive effect inthe society and ecology,significance of bat conservationand bat diversity in Nepal. Aftercreating awareness to the forestofficial, who is the maingovernment authority to lookafter mammals in that area,interview with the District ForestOfficer was taken and hiscommitment to work forconservation of bats wasbroadcasted in the fifth episode.Requests for attention to batconservation was made to theinhabitant of Palpa districtthrough Srinagar via F.M. radio.

Earlier, bats were killed for meatin some localities by usingshooting or throwing stones atbats inside the caves. Peoplehad many misconceptionregarding bats. They used tothink that they are symbol of evil,or that all bats had rabies virus,and they attack the eyes ofhuman beings, eat all the fruitsfrom orchard, and are dirty.People now realize that the batsthat had been roosting in theirlocality are doing positive thingsfor them.

Surveys of as many roosting sitesof these bats as possible wascarried out to understand thespecies richness in the studyarea. Every roosting site wasvisited three times to account forthe maximum diversity, reduceerror in bat field identification andto know the average populationat each locality. Bats werecaptured with the help of mistnets and butterfly nets to knowthe diversity of species present inthat locality. Care was taken notto injure the bats or disturb thewhole colony during this survey.Critical measurements andphysical features of eachcaptured bat was recorded.

Threats were identified by directobservation; secondary datawere collected beyondobservation. Semi structuredquestionnaire was prepared andcarried out among local people toassess the decline in the foodthat bat consumes and to identify

any human induced and naturalthreats.

Data on roosting sites werecollected using informal surveys,structured questionnaires, directfield visits, locality mapping, andinterviews with herders, schoolstudents, municipality staff,development workers and villagepeople. Articles and news werepublished in many newspaper oflocal and national level.

Compilation of materials on batsthat was broadcasted wasdistributed to other RadioStations for them to include insome conservation awarenessprogram. Eight species(Hipposideros armiger, Miniopterusschreibersii, Rhinolophus affinis,Rhinolophus pearsonii,Rhinolophus ferrumequinum,Pipistrellus tenuis, Pteropusgiganteus and Cynopterus sphinx)in and around Palpa District were


Species identification in the field using key

Interview with local community

identified roosting on 13 localitiesin remote areas (TansenMunicipality, Argali V.D.C., MadanPokhara Valley, Bougha GhumbaV.D.C., Sahalkot V.D.C., SiluwaV.D.C., Ramdi Area, and Butwal,Dhovan V.D.C.,). This is a firstrecord of bat species from thisregion.

School programs were conductedin 12 schools to createawareness among children tobring positive attitude about batsand to reduce misconception.Community meetings were heldin different places for people ofdifferent ages. Managementrecommendations were madethat would work at the local levelfor conservation of roosting sitesof bats by using ParticipatoryRural Appraisal (PRA) tool.Members of the community wasgiven chance to shareinformation regarding threats tobats.

A press conference wasconducted at the end of theProject to share the informationto the news reporters and thisnews was covered in most of thenational and local levelnewspaper. Educational Kit “BatConservation in Nepal: AnEducational Kit” and Brochure“Bat Conservation in Palpa” werealso distributed to the mediapeople, students, teachers, localconservationist, and field levelworkers.

This survey created baseline dataon status and distribution of batsin study area of Palpa district.This project adds new data onwild mammals of Nepal, as therehas not been any research onbats in the study area. Thisprogram created understandingamong local people.Recommendations forconservation of Pteropusgiganteus will be made to theGovernment of Nepal. Largenumbers of people are nowaware about importance of batsand will act as a conservationist.

AcknowledgementI am indebted to Chester Zoo (Northof England Zoological Society) forfinancially supporting this project. Iwould like to express my sincerethanks to Dr. Paul Racey, Dr. NeilFurey, Malcolm Pearch, Dr. GaborCsorba, Dr. Sripathi Kandula, Dr P.O. Nameer, Sally Walker and SanjayMolur, Dr. C. Srinivasulu for theirhelp and advice during this project.

School level awarenessprogrammes


SMALL MAMMAL NETWORKS

Chiroptera Conservation and InformationNetwork of South Asia (CCINSA)

CCINSA is a network of South Asian Chiropteraspecialists, educators and enthusiasts. Thenetwork aims to enhance communication,cooperation and collaboration amongchiroptera specialists of this region and therebycreate a chiroptera conservation “community”for better biodiversity conservation.

Chair: Sripathi KandulaConvenor and Administrator: Sally WalkerRed List and Technical Expert: Sanjay Molur

Rodentia, Insectivora, and ScandentiaConservation & Information Network ofSouth Asia (RISCINSA)

RISCINSA network of South Asia wassuggested by interested biodiversityconservation specialists and the purpose of thisnetwork, then is to link together rodent fieldresearchers and their field knowledgethroughout South Asia (Afghanistan,Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives,Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan) so thepooling of information can lead to conservationaction.

Scientific Chair: Sujit ChakrabortyConvenor and Administrator: Sally Walker

BSG, SSC, IUCN

Small Mammal Mail

SMM is bi-annual Newsletter celebrating the most useful yet most neglectedMammals for both CCINSA & RISCINSA -- Chiroptera, Rodent, Insectivore, &Scandens Conservation and Information Networks of South Asia

Editor: Sally Walker; Technical Advisors: Sanjay Molur, B.A. Daniel, R. Marimuthu;and Publication Assistants: Latha Ravikumar, Ravichandran, Pravin Kumar

CCINSA and RISCINSA are an activity of Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO) andWildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) in association with CBSG, SouthAsia and RSG, South Asia.

Note: ZOOS’ PRINT Magazine, Journal of Threatened Taxa, Newsletters and avariety of reports can be found on our websites: www.zooreach.org andwww.zoosprint.org.

Small Mammal Mail, C/o Zoo Outreach Organisation9A, Lal Bahadur Colony, Peelamedu, Coimbatore 641004 TN INDIAPhone: 91 422 2561087; Fax 2563269; Email: <[email protected]>Websites: www.zooreach.org, www.zoosprint.org; www.pterocount.org;www.southasiantaxa.org.

SMALL MAMMAL NETWORKInternational Partners

Chester Zoo Conservation Fund supports ZOO/

CCINSA office, BAT NET newsletter and trainingin field techniques for bats. Chester Funds havealso made it possible to conduct training for rodentbiologists as well. Chester Zoo, which has anoutstanding and very popular facility for exhibitionand breeding of bats, and an active conservationinterest in chiroptera is located in Upton-on-Chesterin United Kingdom and administered by North ofEngland Zoological Society. www.chesterzoo.org

Bat Conservation International BCI is one ofthe most active, innovative and respected batconservation organisations in the world. BCI hassupported CCINSA for many years and takes activeinterest in the growth of the Network and itsindividual batters. See BCI’s wonderful website:www.batcon.org

IUCN SSC Bat Specialist GroupCCINSA represents the IUCN SSC Bat SpecialistGroup in South Asia. BSG utilises the CCINSANetwork to locate specialists in different subjectareas, to organise training as well as conservationassessment workshops and other activities to assistthe CSG in their mission.Contact : Chair Paul Racey: [email protected]

Newsletter celebrating the most useful yet most neglected ... Small Mammal...Prof G. Marimuthu, Head...

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Transcript of Newsletter celebrating the most useful yet most neglected ... Small Mammal...Prof G. Marimuthu, Head...