Editor’s Note: Call to Earth is a CNN-edited series that, together with solutions, addresses the environmental challenges facing our planet. Rolex’s Permanent Planet Initiative is partnering with CNN to promote awareness and education on key sustainability issues and encourage positive action.
Bats have a bad reputation. Myths, folk tales, and negative media coverage often means that people either connect these flying mammals to vampires or condemn the outbreak of disease.
However, bat populations around the world are declining, and without them, ecosystems will lose important benefits such as pest control, pollination and seed dispersal.
Through education, research and advocacy, Rodrigo Medellin, a senior professor of ecology at the University of Mexico, has made its mission to change the way people see these animals.
Medellin’s appeal to bats began when she first held her hand at the age of 13. “That’s when I decided to devote my life to their research and protection,” he says. Since then, the cave has become his happy place.
“Peace, darkness, silence is apart from the creaking sounds of bats. I feel relaxed in the cave. All I do is try to convey this feeling to those who are with me.” He also founded the Latin American Network for Bat Conservation and the Global South Bat, a network of bat scientists.
There are over 1,400 bat species, making up about a fifth of known mammal species around the world. They were the only mammals that could power, not just gliding, which allowed them to spread all over the world. They use highly developed echolocations to navigate to the night to find prey.
Although certain species have lived for over 30 years, bats breed slowly. Usually one puppy per year. This makes it difficult for the population to recover from the decline.
“They are very mystical. Many people fear, attack, or splash at them. They are probably the most unfairly treated animals on the planet,” says Medellin.
Bats are often seen as symbols of evil and darkness, primarily due to their relationship with vampires and the supernatural in Western folklore. Throughout the history of Christian Europe, Bats are associated with demons, evil spirits and witches.
Eastern cultures tend to Show them more positively. In Chinese culture, for example, they are considered symbols of luck and happiness.
Still, bat perceptions have been exacerbated by the emergence of Covid-19. They believe this comes from bats and are often seen negatively due to their association with disease.
“Bats certainly aren’t as well-savory as your dog or cat. It’s awfully exaggerated,” explains Medellin.
One of the most influential services offered by BAT is pest control. Medellín, only one species along Mexico’s northern border, counts up to 30 million individuals, devouring about 300 tons in total Every night of insects.
But they do more than hold back insects. Fruit-eating bats play an important role in spreading seeds when they fly long distances in search of food.
“By removing seeds far from parents and children, it regenerates forests, maintains plant diversity and supports the life cycle of countless other organisms. Forest recovery is highly dependent on bats,” says Medellin.
According to Medellin, bats are also important pollinators for a wide range of plants. Agave, a plant used to make tequila.
Despite its important ecological role, populations around the world face many challenges, most of which are caused by human activity. Habitat loss, wind turbines, pesticide use, and, more recently, white nasal syndrome, a fungal disease, all have been at serious cost. As a result, many species are currently listed as endangered or blackmailed.
“Imagine what happens if you lose a bat overnight,” says Medellin. “Without them, crops will be destroyed by hungry insects, mosquito populations will skyrocket and significantly change the way we live.”
He promises to persuade people that bats are important to everyday happiness, and believes that higher consciousness can change attitudes and turn fear into fascination.
Through initiatives such as bat-friendly agave agriculture, long-distance travel tracing and international conservation networks, he protects bat populations and highlights its role in pollination, pest control and ecosystem health.
“I’m going to fall in love with people, facts, images, evidence, and automatically they fall in love with bats,” he says. “In my experience, anyone who has come into contact with a bat will maintain that contact and begin to expand it.”
“If anyone is still afraid of bats, I would like to invite them to learn a little more,” he adds. “They’re going to win your heart.”
