Coronavirus: How much are bats actually responsible for infection?

Bats carry a variety of viruses naturally. Such as Rabies, Hendra, Nipah, and Ebola. Many of these are very harmful to humans. Recently, it has been said that SARS-COV-2 is a coronavirus, which is responsible for the Covid-19 disease. That too has come into a man from bats.

But researchers aren't convinced that bats have spread coronavirus to humans. Because of the link between BT-COV and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-COV-2) in the human body, researchers are skeptical.

The researchers said that the coronavirus that matched the two species of bats did not have the ability to infect humans. Arguably, that might happen once every thousand years.

Meanwhile, Chinese researchers claim from the beginning that coronavirus has spread from bats to pangolins and from there to humans. Although no specific evidence has been found yet.

Iroro Tanshi is very interested in bats.

"They are a wonderful creation," he said. When the subject of bats came up, his eyes became bright.

Tanshi is a Nigerian scientist working for a doctorate at Texas Tech University in the United States.

There are several other scientists like him whose goal is to eliminate the negative image of bats. Especially at this time, bats have a role to play in spreading the coronavirus epidemic - such talk has further tarnished the image of bats.

Mass killings and expulsions of bats have been reported from Australia to Indonesia. Conservationists are upset by the news.

But blaming the bat for the epidemic is what is happening - the real culprit is getting away with it.

Why are bats being blamed for the Kovid-19 epidemic?

The reason for this is: the SARS-Cove to Virus, which is the cause of the Covid-19 infection - has a 98% resemblance to a previous virus, and that virus was found in the body of a species of bat called Horseshoe bat.

Tanshi says, “As a result, all species of bats became suspicious. But the truth is that bats have a very strong scientific argument against it. "

"Recent research on evolution has shown that the virus found in the body of the Horseshoe bat 40 to 60 years ago is different from the SARS-Cove-to-Virus virus," says Tanshi.

In his words, there is further evidence that bats may not have spread the SARS-Cove-to-virus directly to humans.

Kenai Masai Mara University wildlife biology teacher said. Paul Webala. He also agrees with Tanshi.

Dr. "In terms of evolution, there are a lot of differences between humans and bats," says Webala. So even if the SARS-cove-to-virus came from a bat - it probably had to go through another animal or "host" in the middle. "

This means that if bats were the source of the virus - they would not have spread it directly to humans. Many suspect that there was another animal in between the man and the bat - probably a pangolin, which in Bengali is called Pangolin.

Then who is to blame?

Mr. Tanshi and his fellow scientists insist they agree that humans are responsible for the coronavirus outbreak and its spread among human populations.

Dr. Webala says human activity has created the ideal conditions for the spread of the epidemic.

"Human encroachment on wildlife habitats, habitat destruction, wildlife trade by humans, confinement in one place, relocation - all of those activities create ideal conditions for the spread of pathogens among other species. And it's happening altogether the species that haven't are available contact with one another before. "

"Research from multiple angles has shown that the destruction of animal habitats increases the risk of spreading 'zoonotic' diseases, that is, animal diseases," says Tanshi.

So killing bats will not protect us from the coronavirus. Rather, the opposite can happen.

Mass killings and evictions could exacerbate the situation, say, conservationists.

There are more than 14,000 species of bats in the world, 80 percent of which feed on insects.

Most of the insects that bats eat can fly and are nocturnal. These carry a variety of pathogenic microorganisms that infect humans. Such as dengue fever and malaria.

Therefore, attacking bats may increase the incidence of other diseases.

How do bats benefit humans?

"If you're wearing cotton today, drinking tea or coffee, eating cereals, eating one of the many farms produce - there's already a connection between your day and the bat,"  said Webala.

Nature, animals, and plants all play a major role in the ecosystem around us - in terms of bat pollination, seed dispersal, and insect destruction. So bats have labored in everything from food to cosmetics, furniture, and medicine.

Without bats, Indonesia's forests could not survive. The baobab tree in Madagascar would disappear, and Macadamia's plantations would be ruined.

The number of seeds spread through birds - twice that spread through bats ”- says Dr. Webala - "This makes it possible for plants to breed and gene flow in isolated tropical forests within the tropics."

Multiple surveys show that in the United States alone, the loss of crops caused by bats is declining, and farmers are saving billions of dollars - which they had to spend on pesticides.

Why are bats a "unique" animal?

Bats are wonderfully successful animals in terms of survival in the natural world. Bats are found on all continents except Antarctica.

Tanshi says, “As a bat researcher, I even have explored many caves, forests, mountains, and meadows. As you'll see, bats have evolved to adapt to nature. “

“In the case of bats, the finger has become a fan. They can use echoes to determine the position of the path. Their eyesight is great. And with these, the bats have been able to establish their colony in the night sky. If being a mammal is an art, then a bat is a masterpiece. ”

Dr. Webalao is equally enthusiastic about bats and he makes some real arguments for their conservation.

‍ “We are now slowly learning that bats may have highly developed immune systems which will tolerate disease and disease-causing microorganisms.

"The mystery of the bat's system may are available handy within the discovery of a replacement treatment to extend human immunity to the virus," he said.