Faisalabad: Farm workers kill mega-bat, attacked mango orchard

FAISALABAD: Mega-bats attacked mango orchards in Mamoo Kanjan here, citing local farmers ARY News reported on Saturday.

The workers at fruit orchard, finding the mega bat with wing spans of around four-and-half feet killed it with blows of sticks, local farmers said.

The bat was damaging the trees and fruit yield for last several days, according to farmers.

The bats with wing spans of more than four feet with a dog-like face also being reported in rural areas of Sindh for last few years.

Thousands of wild bats attacked fruit farms in Nawabshah near Rohri Canal in July 2021.

Flocks of fruit-eating wild bats attacked banana and mango farms in the area and damaged the fruit yield at several farms of the area, local police said.

“Policemen tried to kill attacking flocks of bats and get rid of many of them,” officials stated.

In December 2019, mega-bats attacked standing crops in a village in Sujawal district of Sindh.

The large-sized bats attacked fruit farms in Village Nodo Baran in Sujawal district, local villagers said.

The farmers claimed to kill around 40 bats with firing in the village.

Before it the bats in such a big size were eported in the katcha area of Piryalo town in northern Sindh in year 2015.

These creatures were reportedly eating mangoes and dates in fruit farms of the area.

According to reports these bats are not only scary for their size and ability to inflict harm on the farms and orchards. But, the bats, also called large flying foxes or fruit bats, can sometimes act as reservoirs and vectors for a range of diseases and viruses which are potentially lethal to humans and other animals.