Question: In which part of world Kolar leaf nosed bat are found?
a) Karnataka , India
b) California, USA
c) Sindh, Pakistan
d) none of the above
Answer: a)
Context
- Bat Conservation India Trust, which has been entrusted with drawing up a conservation plan, has been awarded a grant to conduct further research on Kolar leaf nosed bat recently.
About Kolar leaf- nosed bat
- The Kolar leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros hypophyllus), or leafletted leaf-nosed bat is a species of bat.
- It is found in only two caves in the village of Hanumanahalli in Kolar district of Karnataka,India.
- For reasons that are still unknown, the bat became locally extinct in one of the two caves.
- Since 2016 Leaf Nosed-bats are placed in critically endangered list of IUCN. The habitats of Leaf-Nosed Bats are under threat due to explosion done for the purpose of granite mining. The Granite miners in the Kolar district have driven out the Leaf-Nosed bats by setting fires.
- Government of India imposed a ban on granite mining in the region to save the bats in 2014. However, the ban was temporary. Currently no such ban exist.
Need for conservation
- The Kolar Leaf-Nosed Bat is exclusive to Karnataka and very little is known about this bat – what ecology it thrives in, what its diet is, its behavior and what would happen to it if the cropping pattern changes in the area in which it resides.
- Although they generally have a bad image in public eye, bats are very important for the ecology as they are pollinators, their main diet being nectar. The plants that bloom at night are entirely dependent on bats and moths for pollination. They are also helpful in insect control.
By – Kameshwar Shukla