An anecdote of mother bat by Rupsingh Bhandari

One day, I was strolling around the old palace in the busy city. Which is surrounded by tall trees like the army. Among all trees, some leafless trees used to be covered by the colony of bats. I used to stand nearby and watch them interestingly for a long time. But, unfortunately, that day, I saw an old mother bat hanging alone. As she exhaled the air, weird sounds and strange smells would drift around. The dusky evening sun was withdrawing its lights from the city, the shadows of trees brewing up darkness, the sky seemed like a pregnant woman uncomfortably waiting in the labor room.

Suddenly, I heard a sound, “Could you please give me some water?”

This sound was starkly from an old mother bat, without any question I climbed the tree and poured water into her mouth.

And I told her, “Could you please tell me what happened to your colony these days?”

And she started to tell her story…like my grandmother.

It has been centuries, we don’t know when our ancestors had arrived in this region? But, our routes and rituals haven’t changed. There was not any confusion about our journey and navigation. I know we had a huge family and our life was so wonderful. The caves, old buildings and trees were not disturbed by us. I still remember the jungle where we roamed for our favorite foods; fig, mango and banana were so delicious, and enjoying the night flight competitively eating the mosquitos was so nostalgic. We used to fly without fear in groups, humans were not much concerned with us, beside their jerking glance at our colony along the way. But these days we heard that some humans learnt to eat us, and many of our healthy children were missing mysteriously. Beside this, recently, an unrecognized disease by human extreme urbanization and their development is devastating our colonies everywhere. Outnumbered of our families have been dying, they are dispersed everywhere throughout the jungle and cities. I am old and so weak therefore, I am alone hanging on this old roost waiting for my sons.

If I remember, during our childhood my mother was strong among other siblings, she gave us birth as twins. My sister and I were so brave and disciplined. According to my mom, she had gone through many difficult times to nurse us. Carrying twins in the womb as flying mammals is a really challenging task. Bats seldom give birth to twins. We were such lucky sisters among others. Our mom never made mistakes to search us and cuddle with us among hundreds of other families; it is an amazing instinct of our bat family. She carried us wherever she needed to go, turn by turn. Searching for food and feeding us was her major job. She had overcome her hunger and hazards but always brought the best food. She hoped we would become quickly mature and responsible. We two sisters were most healthy and active among others, at that time foods were so much available everywhere and the environment was so peaceful. Our father was always around us just keeping his eyes on us. One day, our mom had never returned while searching for food… we never knew what had happened to her? After that accident, our father helped us to become mature. We had a difficult time learning to fly and follow the groups’ invisible decisions and routes, but we didn’t give up. Instead, sticking to our guns strongly kept our journey alive.

We have few predators, owls, hawks and snakes. Becoming careful with them was very important, our father always alerted us, and as we grew older, we assured him not to be too concerned about us. We started to fly at night. We were called the heroines of night. Many male of our age had started to notice us. They chirp sharp sometimes near our roost. My twin sister found a good partner in the early winter and she started to be far from me. It was scorching, the most difficult time for me to adjust with the colony. Sometimes, I felt to commit suicide removing my hand from the perch of tree. But, I tried hard to balance my life with the group, my old father after a few years also strangely disappeared from our colony. I combed the entire area for him but couldn’t trace anything. I really remained pitiful those days scrunching down among others. But, some of my friends always took care of me.

Few years later, a weak but humble male bat purposed me chirping loudly nearby me, that day sky was fully colored by different clouds, the earth seemed silent and trees seemed in deep meditation, no movement was there, butterflies were basking under the sun, it was like the heavenly trance resurrecting its beauty back. When I was alone swinging in the tree, I told him, “Are you chirping for me.” He replied, “Yes.” This answer was my lifeline, I almost quitted my life several times. But, finally, he came into my life to emblazon our tiny world. He immensely added fortitude in my hopelessness. My husband without saying any words encouraged me to roam and fly. He took care of me, despite his difficulties. I again got my wings back to fly for my small dreams. I became strong soon after I also became pregnant. Those days my husband told me about the thousand different tribes of our bat family, and their mysterious disappearance from the earth. Even being one of the most populated species we are in danger by the changing earth. He also talked about the disease of White-Nose Syndrome which killed millions of bats from the earth. He was a group leader but because of some accident he became weak, which he never told me. He was an advisor of our circles. Most importantly, he cared for me very sensitively during my pregnancy. He even brought food and shared with me as if I were a small child.

It was good news that I also had baby twins in my womb, which is rare in our bat family; it is so hard to make flight with those twins, in my life another more crucial turning point had arrived. Giving birth to those twin pups was my final wish as a mother: with full gratitude with Mother Nature. I had really gone through bad times. But, fortunately, even though my husband was physically weak, he made our time so beautiful. Sometimes, I felt that he is another reincarnation of my father. My husband told me the importance of the bat family, he told me that in this mother earth we have inherent value, though many don’t know, we help to pollinate mangoes, avocados, bananas without us, soon these fruits can also be disappeared from earth, our droppings called guano is one of the expensive highly effective fertilizer, we are interconnected with all creatures in this nature. We can eat many insects to save crops for farmers. We are not only spooky creature but a part of this earth. We don’t have any bat made rules, religions, and philosophies we just follow the creation’s only one law made for us. My husband’s intellectuality was amazing. But, as I was pregnant, he was so generous to me.

My delivery time had approached before that we both made a tent for our pups together, those days if I remember still I bogged down in our past. Delivering pups hanging upside down… was the most fearful and life threatening for us. After giving birth to pups, I had to trap them in my wings, if I made a mistake I could lose my pups. And pups’ nipple bite also unbearable for female bats. Therefore, the pain of giving birth to pups, no humans can understand. After successfully giving birth to our pups, breastfeeding them was another difficult task. But, my husband and I were so happy that we gave birth male twin pups, which was an inexpressible joy. My husband brought food for me for a few weeks and I started to dream of giving my pups a healthy life and bright future.

Our sons grew very peacefully with the help of my husbands, I loved them, they had always fight to cling in my chest, and I flew many places with them without any complaints. I taught them to fly quickly. They were so healthy and quickly became independent, which was a tremendous joy for us. We always notice them in our colony, every night they used to cuddle with us before sleeping. We communicate by echolocation, which is our nature of communication. Before, many believed that we are blind, we are not blind in reality. We have our unique way of listening and seeing as other creatures. We enjoy all seasons, our fingers and the thin hairless membrane can help to fly, unlike birds we don’t need to flap so much our wings. Therefore, many nicknamed us, as fish of sky. But, unfortunately our healthy sons disappeared one after another, our colony was becoming so gloomy, every night many couldn’t return to our colony. Which was terrifying us. We couldn’t feel good as before, the mysterious disappearance of our family made so depressed to all. Many of our family died because of the depression. Our family gradually reduced to give birth. We are screwed up by this unwanted misbalanced of nature. We encountered many obstacles from few years back. Now, we arrived at endangered situation. After, disappearance of our both sons, we felt so unsecured and many other family decided themselves to be protected alone, our colony crumbled down: no one knows what to do next? To be protected from this unknown new disease, our colony decided to stay separately. By this unimagined circumstance, we are moping around hopelessly.

My husband and I decided to stay in this old tree, hoping one day our sons can return searching for us. This was our final hope. Few months back my husband also died from an unknown disease— he told me, “Don’t lose faith you are a brave mother and the earth is our home, this nature can soon bring miracles, nature knows better than humans to rebalance creation.” he always used to say that one day your sons can come for your liberty. I once again, felt so painful time in my life … sometimes, I thought that hanging in this tree being scatter every day is like committing suicide in installment. But, still the flimsy hope’s rope kept me alive here. But, I have been really empty inside from a few months, no one is with me, even birds are not visiting these old trees as I am. I am feeling exhausted thinking about my children. I am just listening and surviving blanketing by this city’s cacophony and the urgency of passerby humans and vehicles.

Listening to her untold painful story, I didn’t know my tears rolled down from my cheek to chest—unnoticed. Finally, I told her, “What are your favorite foods, I will bring tomorrow.”

“Just bring some ripe bananas,” she replied in a weak sound. And she said, “I want to say to all humans, please, find the way out of this disaster, you have responsibility, we bats are not bad. All creatures have an equal right to live, and we all help each other to keep the equilibrium of Mother Nature.”

Without any objection, I said, “sure I will tell your story and advice, and bring your favorite bananas.”

That night I couldn’t sleep well thinking about her situation. I was so desperate to give her bananas the next morning. The day opened as usual like a yolk of egg sun arose … leaking all dewdrops of earth. Trees stretched their arms. I bought some bananas and went to the old palace and nearby the same tree.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t see the mother bat any more on the branch of tree and on the ground too. I searched all around the palace, but could not notice her. And, I returned back home sadly, thinking about her mysterious disappearance.