In Peru, this has resulted in locals attempting to fight Covid-19 by setting fire to bat communities despite the fact that there is no scientific proof for zoonosis.
The Peruvian government has had to issue a statement warning residents to stop killing bats, reported Peruvian network América Noticias.
Hundreds of bats were killed in arson attacks in the small village of Culden, Peru’s National Service of Wild Forests and Fauna (SERFOR) announced.
About 200 bats were saved from the mob by the wildlife service and National Agrarian Health Service (SENASA) who later released the animals into a distant cave far from Culden. “We must not distort the situation due to the pandemic. Bats are not our enemies.”
The wildlife agency explained that the bats were beneficial to humans in helping to combat deadly viruses including Dengue fever outbreaks in Southeast Asia and the Americas.
SERFOR noted: “70 percent of the [bat] species in the world feed off insects, many of which are harmful to agriculture and our health, like mosquitoes that spread dengue and other diseases”.
