I have a wildlife zoo

The host said, "I never knew that bats played such an important ecological role! It seems that we really can't judge an animal by its appearance, nor can we decide their merit based solely on how they look."

However, there's another very important question: what should we do if we encounter bats? Can they transmit COVID-19 to humans?"

The audience in front of the TV suddenly listened intently, even picking up pens and notebooks to take notes.

This was the question that everyone was most concerned about today!

Wang Yan said, "As the second largest group of all mammals, there are more than 1,400 species of bats worldwide with extremely high species diversity. There is a very large difference in the morphology and habits between different bats.

In Linhai, the common bats include the Chinese rufous horseshoe bat, greater short-nosed fruit bat, great roundleaf bat, Chinese myotis, Pomona roundleaf bat, lesser flat-headed bat, and so on.

Don't get too excited when you hear 'horseshoe bat'; they generally live in the mountains, with caves as their habitat, and they don't enter urban areas."

Other bats and the Chinese rufous horseshoe bat are not the same species, not even in the same family; they are very distantly related. For example, people have seen greater short-nosed fruit bats in parks before; they feed on fruits and nectar, and naturally carry very different viruses."

Fang Ye said, "Just like with rodents, we have the most commonly seen house mice, squirrels, bamboo rats, and even beavers, and then there are porcupines covered in quills—each is very different from the others."

Wang Yan said, "That's right, so everyone doesn't need to panic when they see them. The bats we might encounter in the city aren't natural hosts for COVID-19.

Even if the Chinese rufous horseshoe bat, the presumed natural host for the virus, were to carry it, it wouldn't transmit the disease directly to humans.

Because the genetic differences between humans and bats are significant, genetic sequencing has shown that while the virus in patients has a high similarity to the coronavirus carried by the Chinese rufous horseshoe bat, there are still considerable differences, and they are two different viruses.

It is more likely that transmission to humans occurs through some unknown intermediate host."

Fang Ye said with a smile, "Moreover, in our cities, the number of bats is actually quite small. If you see one, it means you're lucky and blessed. That's something to be happy about."

To summarize: you won't encounter horseshoe bats because they live in caves! Other bats don't carry COVID-19! They won't transmit it directly to humans! There are very few bats!

So there's absolutely no need to worry.

Hearing this, the audience collectively sighed with relief.

Their concern and dislike for bats could be said to have vanished by ninety percent.

With the remaining bit of distaste for the bats' appearance, considering what had just been explained about their ecological role, they were gradually beginning to accept them.

The host asked, "So you're saying, we don't need to do anything if we see bats?"

Fang Ye said, "That's correct. We've coexisted with them for such a long time without any issues.

Bats are a natural part of our ecosystem and there's nothing to be afraid of. As long as you don't touch them or eat them, there won't be any problems. It's best to simply do nothing at all."

Wang Yan said, "Bats in the city usually live in the holes and crevices of buildings, hiding during the day and only active at night.

Now that the weather is cold, bats have a habit of hibernating. When temperatures are low, they curl up and hang to sleep. Only when the weather warms up will they become active again. The chance of contact with humans is very rare, and they also actively maintain a distance from humans."

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"Disturbing or driving them away might actually bring unforeseen risks."

The host said, "Thank you, Zoo Director Fang and Teacher Wang Yan for your answers! If our audience friends have any questions, you can send us a text message to ask, okay?"

Some people have already been sending text messages with questions!

The staff below wrote the questions on slips of paper and passed a few of them over.

The host read the slips and said, "An audience member asked, can we still eat crayfish? Can we still eat bamboo rats?"

This is the question that foodies and businesses are most concerned about!

After the outbreak of COVID-19, it was said that the initial source was at a seafood market, causing sales of seafood to plummet; everyone is temporarily afraid to eat it.

Fang Ye replied, "Crayfish, fish, and all that are safe to eat! People don't need to be too scared, if we're talking about viruses, it could only be that the virus from humans got onto them during transportation — this applies to crayfish, vegetables, or doorknobs alike.

As for bamboo rats, which everyone is confused about whether they count as game, according to our general understanding, wild animals are those living in the wild, right?

These wild animals may carry unknown viruses and parasites; capturing and eating them is not only irresponsible towards oneself but also society. Moreover, it could harm endangered wild species, and this should be sternly condemned.

However, according to the legal definition in our country, aside from common livestock like pigs, cattle, and sheep, as well as fish, shrimp, and crabs, all other animals are called 'wild animals.'

Therefore, everyone has heard a rather humorous term recently called artificially bred wild animals.

Bamboo rats, sika deer, porcupines, and the like, they can all be legally commercially bred within certain limits, but they are still called wild animals.

In fact, some artificially bred economic animals are a form of protection for wild populations.

For instance, sika deer used to be hunted extensively for their antlers and meat, leading their wild numbers to dwindle dramatically. In China, they are considered an endangered species. After achieving success with artificial breeding, poaching in the wild has decreased.

Then there is the Siamese crocodile, which was once on the brink of being considered extinct in the wild — many luxury bags and wallets are made from their skin. Now, they are bred in captivity, which actually is a beneficial thing.

One problem with these artificially bred wild animals, though, is that while they can be farmed, there are no related quarantine standards.

Plus, some unscrupulous businesses pass off wild ones as farmed ones, so this area is quite mixed. In any case, it's still pretty chaotic.

So, the outbreak has exposed some bad practices. What we need to do going forward is to learn from this lesson, regulate the specialty breeding industry, and intensify the crackdown on poaching and the trade of wild animals."

"I've always been puzzled by this so-called artificially bred wild animals thing! I even got into an argument over this before."

"No matter what animal it is, we can only feel safe to eat it if it has gone through quarantine!"

"I feel bad for the pitiful bamboo rats, poor bamboo rat brothers! It's really bad luck."

"Some people have a mindset that eating game makes them look more capable or even take pride in it. To protect wild animals, what we need to change most is this attitude. When everyone starts to feel ashamed of eating game, such incidents will no longer happen."

The audience was abuzz with discussions.

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