Bat Flash: NatGeo’s “Virus Hunters” Spreads Groundless Claims About Bats
I viewed the National Geographic documentary series titled, “Virus Hunters,” with substantial disappointment. Warnings of growing reliance on bush meat and industrial farming were justified. However, coverage of wildlife too often exaggerated risks from bats. Bats are exceptionally easy to trap in large numbers, have few defenders, and are easily misunderstood. This makes them prime […]
Improving Bat Houses in America: Nearly 40 Years of Progress and Still Learning
Bat houses are outstanding tools for education. When I introduced them to Americans in 1982, my primary objective was to help people overcome fear and accept bats as valuable neighbors. That goal has been vastly exceeded. Today, hundreds of thousands of American bats live in a wide variety of bat houses. Individuals who have carefully […]
Timely New Children’s Book
Life Upside Down: Australia’s Grey-headed flying-foxes Leading wildlife photographer and conservationist, Doug Gimesy, has teamed up with award-winning media graphic artist, Heather Kiley, to produce an outstanding introduction to the upside-down world of grey-headed flying foxes. Through stunning photography, simple text, and eye-catching design, this book provides a timely introduction to some of the world’s […]
Bat Flash: Premature Speculation Revives Scary Headlines
A study published July 28th in Nature Microbiology titled, “Evolutionary origins of the SARS-CoV-2 lineage responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic,” implies a direct bat origin at a time when analyses remain woefully incomplete. Nevertheless, news media continue to sensationalize inconclusive speculation in a manner that needlessly demonizes bats and circumvents the scientific process: BBC NEWS—“COVID-19: Infectious coronaviruses circulating in […]
Bat Flash: Misleading Article Harms Bats and Public Health
A disappointing number of authors and publishers are spreading the false narrative that bats are exceptionally high-risk sources of deadly viruses. The July 12 edition of The Washington Post contained an article titled, “Why do bats have so many viruses?” The author, Rachel Ehrenberg, was apparently unaware of the most recent analysis of viral risks. […]
Bat Flash: CNN Misses the Mark
Response to CNN Program “Bats—The Mystery Behind Covid-19” I applaud Anderson Cooper for his attempt to improve public perceptions of bats. His program included numerous reasons why we should appreciate and protect bats. Nevertheless, producers failed to alleviate needless fear by omission of key facts and addition of misleading narratives. Such approaches unfortunately solidify needless […]
Adventures of a Real Batman: 1966-1967
From 1965 to 1968, the Smithsonian Institution, funded by the U.S. Army, set out on an ambitious project to document the mammals of Venezuela and their ectoparasites (fleas, mites, and ticks). It was hoped that such knowledge, collected at varied locations around the world, might save lives in the event of future military activities. Merlin […]
Concerns for COVID-19 Management in North America
I am writing in response to the unprecedented situation now presented by COVID-19 in North America. Early suggestions regarding potential transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to bats have raised serious concerns among research colleagues, rehabilitators, and cavers. In perusing available knowledge, I agree with veterinarian, Renee Schott. She has pointed out that we can’t control […]
COVID-19 Impact
COVID-19 Impact: A Viral Witch Hunt March 27, 2020 Merlin’s op-ed, “A Viral Witch Hunt,” published in Issues in Science and Technology on March 27, 2020 illustrates how misguided focus on bats as speculated sources of scary diseases threatens an invaluable resource and leads to misdirection of public health resources. Continue reading Review of COVID-19 […]
Thai Adventures Part 4: Khao Chong Pran
For me, our trip highlight was the visit to the Khao Chong Pran Cave in Ratchaburi Province. Nearly 40 years ago Buddhist monks who owned the cave had asked my advice. Their monastery relied on bat guano fertilizer sales for support. But in 1981 production was plummeting. Of course, and the monks wanted to know […]