No evidence that bats directly infected humans

COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc here at home and around the world and while the jury is still out on where the virus that causes the disease originated, it does not stop people speculating and rumours circulating.

It is known that Corona-type viruses are found in bats. It has been reported, but is contested by the Chinese authorities, that the disease may have originated in bats offered for sale as human food in Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan.

The unsubstantiated report has resulted in some angry people in several other countries taking matters into their own hands and killing bats in the mistaken belief that they are helping to stop the spread of the disease. Worse still when governmental authorities get involved.

As efforts are stepping up around the world to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus disease, there have been numerous reports that various communities and governmental authorities in several regions of the world have been culling bats in a misplaced effort to combat the disease.

To address this unfortunate development, international bat experts have set out the facts about bats and COVID-19 and our National Parks and Wildlife Service is promoting these facts in the interests of conserving Irish bats.

The facts established to date are as follows. Bats do not spread COVID-19. COVID-19 is being transmitted from humans to other humans. There is no evidence that bats directly infected humans with COVID-19 in the first place. Scientific investigations are pointing to a chain of events that may have involved bats but most likely only through an intermediate animal.

There are some 1,400 bat species living in the wild around the world. Many have adapted to urban environments, living in backyard gardens, urban parks and even roosting under bridges, without posing the slightest threat to their human neighbours.

Bats provide enormous benefits including pollination, seed dispersal and pest control, worth billions of dollars annually.

Many bat species are in trouble and need our help to survive. Dozens of bat species are protected globally but much more needs to be done to ensure the survival of bats around the world. While the killing of bats will not have any effects on the spread of COVID-19, it would adversely affect the conservation status of bat populations.

A similar misdirected focus occurred at the height of the 2006 bird ‘flu, with calls for widespread culling of migratory waterbirds and the draining of their wetland habitats.

Bats do not spread COVID-19.