The growing cases of violent onslaughts on the habitats of bats in search of their nests are posing a grave threat to the species living in Iran.
Tahereh Eftekhari, deputy for Natural History and Genetic Resources Bureau at the Department of Environment, said unfortunately an illegal trend is growing in the country to harvest the so-called "bat nests" for their medical benefits, DOE reported on its official website.
Edible nests, which are created by some bird species using their saliva, are harvested for human consumption, particularly in eastern countries, like China.
The nests have been used in Chinese cooking for over 400 years, most often as bird's nest soup. They believe that it promotes good health, especially for the skin.
The types of bat species that make such edible nests are called vampire bats.
Based on the latest studies, the desmoteplase enzyme abounding in the bat's saliva can prevent strokes in humans, besides other health benefits.
With some 19 families and 1250 species, bats comprise about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide. Iran is home to some 50 species, including eight families and 16 kinds, making the country the most popular habitat for bats among the Middle Eastern countries.
However, all the species in the country are believed to live in tree trunk holes or dangle on cave ceilings and do not make any actual nest.
"The kind of bat with edible nest is absolutely not present among those species inhabiting the country," the official said, warning the violators against their illegal action and asking them to stop destroying the animals' living environment.
Beneficial Role
Bats are highly beneficial to maintenance of the ecological balance in the environment. They contribute to pollination and release a noticeable amount of minerals (mostly nitrogen) in the environment through their excrement.
Many of the nocturnal flying mammals are insectivores (as those inhabiting in Iran), and most of the rest are frugivores (fruit-eaters).
A few species feed on animals other than insects; for example, the vampire bats feed on blood.
According to International Union for Conservation of Nature, some 25% of bat species are included in the red list of threatened species.
Therefore, providing a comprehensive protection plan and raising public awareness seems necessary to save the species, and more broadly, the biodiversity.
