Friday, May 4, 2012

Kovai gets its own batgirl as local girl champions bats

 





Imagine a bat suddenly whizzing past your head, barely missing you just because it can detect ultrasonic waves from you! Most people freak out, imagine horrific Dracula-esque scenes, scream and run for their lives.
But Shriranjani Iyer from Coimbatore welcomes them with open arms — bats are her best friends.

The 12th grader from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School has made it her mission to care for these winged nocturnal creatures; a passion that has seen her work on a project for Pterocount — the South Asian Bat Monitoring programme for environmentalists and biologists that aims to create awareness on bat conservation.

Says Shriranjani, “I contributed data on bat population and their dietary patterns to Pterocount. My research predominantly focused on the Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus).

Sanjay Moulur, the Director of the Zoo Outreach Organisation helped me a lot. I explored roosts all over the city's parks, and ones along the Mettupalayam, Avinashi and Karur routes as well.

” She goes on, “Bats have always fascinated me, right from when I was a kid. Everybody believes silly myths about them and gets frightened, no one cares enough to actually observe how wondrous they are!”

So what about bats is so interesting? “Well, for a start, they are of great help in seed dispersal, aiding in 90% of pollination. Being insectivorous, they help with pest riddance in fields.

Also, contrary to popular belief, they groom themselves perfectly and are not unclean or poisonous. Some even think they're blind- that's ridiculous as they have great vision which helps their nocturnal nature.

They are mysterious mammals though, and not too much more is known about them, that makes me even more curious!”, she quips.

Shriranjani did have a chance to get up close and personal with her favourite mammal once. “I was once asked to take care of an injured infant bat left in the zoo without its mother.

I fed and cleaned it, contacted several vets to help me, did all I could .. but unfortunately couldn't save its life. It was an emotional experience. It got me attached even more to this cause.”

An avid-birdwatcher as well, Shriranjani is part of the Salim Ali Ornithology Centre Nature Forum and is frequents spotted around the city with her binoculars, hoping to get a glimpse of some exotic species.

She signs off saying, “I spend a lot of time watching programs on Nat Geo and Discovery, reading online journals or interacting with like-minded community members on Facebook all over the world. I hope to continue my research and aid in wildlife conservation after school as well.”

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