Dead Bats Found In UP's Ballia, Carcasses Sent For Testing: Forest Officer

Samples of bat carcasses found in Bishunpur village of Uttar Pradesh have been sent for testing at a lab in Bareilly to ascertain the reason behind their death on Wednesday. Panic had gripped the village after dead bats were found in the village amid the growing fear of COVID-19 pandemic.

District Forest Officer Shraddha Yadav said, "Our team has collected samples of four dead bats from the village. These have been now sent for testing to ascertain the reason behind their death. Our field staff has found 10-20 carcasses of bats."

Earlier, when the COVID-19 infection had started spreading in Wuhan, China, there had been claims that bats could be the host for the infection.

In the wake of COVID-19, villagers are worried about the death of the bats. Jai Prakash Yadav, a villager said, "I request the authorities to take the required action as we are worried about the current situation. We have heard that bats are the carriers of COVID-19."

Bablu, a social worker in the village told ANI, "Thousands of bats live on the trees of Bishanpur village. Recently, it has been noticed that nearly 50 bats are dying every day. After which, the Health Department and Forest Department were informed about the situation."