“Its human behaviour that keeps causing these pandemics…and its our impact on the natural world that we must address…if we protect the natural world and our biodiversity, and we respect it, then we won’t be having these issues.” – Rachael Cooper-Bohannon, Founder, Bats Without Borders.
As humans we want to try and understand where the COVID-19 pandemic stemmed from. In a rush to provide the public with information, bats were targeted as being the source for the virus and a considered a primary carrier. Although there was not enough scientific evidence surrounding this, the media ran with the idea and this caused widespread persecution against bats globally.
My conversation this week is with Bats Without Borders founder, Rachael Cooper-Bohannon, who takes us through the misconceptions about the relation between bats and the virus, the status of the bat species in Southern Africa, and what we need to change in order to prevent future pandemics.
Bats Without Borders Statement: COVID-19 & Bats
To learn more about Bats Without Borders: https://www.batswithoutborders.org/
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