Theriologia Ukrainica (Dec 2021)
Bat in the flat - people's reaction and further actions (results of a sociological survey)
Abstract
The salvation of some animal species, including of bats, depends not only on the adoption of laws on the protection of these species at a state level, but also on the attitude of the general public towards them at a household level. Faced with a bat, a person will act according to a certain stereotype, which has already been formed and which is associated with their perception of this animal. Therefore, we tried to find out what people do in a situation when a bat flies into their flat and what are their actions to remove this animal from the flat, as well as what emotions bats evoke in them. A total of 503 students of grades 5 to 10 in Sumy City and district centres of Sumy Oblast were interviewed. Of them, 16.9 % (85) responded that they witnessed cases of bats entering their flats. We provide data on the location and people’s reactions. In 5.9% of cases (5), bats were found in the morning in the room where people slept and then they were released from the balcony. In 94.1 % of cases (80), the animals entered in the evening and were flying in the room. In 34.2 % (26) of cases the animals were allowed to fly independently and the windows were opened, while in most occasions (47.3 %, 36) they were guided out using various tools. At the same time, in 14.5 % cases (11) bats were killed or seriously injured either occasionally or intentionally. In addition, 9.2 % (7) were killed by domestic cats. In 5.3 % of all cases (4), bats died in the shelters. Three individuals (3.9 %) were captured and kept at home for a few days, after which they were released. That is, 27.2% (22 individuals) of the animals reliably died. Almost 60 % of the students think that for whatever reasons bats are capable of attacking humans, get entangled in their hair or bite them. There is a widespread lack of positive perception of bats among both schoolchildren and their parents. All this indicates the need for further popularization of bats among the general public and the search for new ways to convey information. Obviously, the emphasis should be placed not only on their «usefulness», but also on their attractiveness, defencelessness, and vulnerability. This would change the attitude towards these animals in the mass consciousness and thus give them an additional chance to survive.
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