Mount Abu has always been the home of Flying Foxes. Their roosting grounds have always been in close proximity to Nakki Lake. For as long as I can remember they roost on huge trees surrounding the areas around our civil hospital. I have observed that tourists who visit Abu are apprehensive when they hear and see these wonderful creatures of the night hanging upside down, peering at the them, they get jittery and their facial expressions are fun to watch. Bats seem to trigger a morbid fear of the unknown to a large section of the population, people associate it with black magic, vampires and blood thirsty creatures that cling to one's ears or jugular vein and drains its victim of all its blood. Thanks to Hollywood and our very own Bollywood for this unfounded fear amongst masses as they have always depicted these agile and wonderfully unique creatures as devils let loose from Hades in their motion pictures.
In my youth I had been approached many a time by some strange and sometimes desperate strangers to shoot these spectacular creatures for medicinal purpose or for rituals invoking the unknown. I always told them when I shoot any creature its for the sole purpose of eating it. I had learnt my lesson very early in life, when as a kid I had shot some squirrels for their skin and after skinning them I was approached by my best friend and guide my father who looked sternly at me and asked me why I had taken the lives of these creatures. I replied confidently that I wanted their skin to make some articles my heart was set on. He then smiled and asked me what I was going to do with the rest of the squirrel, I looked at him inquiringly. He then told me to cook them and have them for my next meal and I tell you he was dead serious on this issue. "Son" he said, “When you shoot any creature it’s for a purpose, since you have killed it you should eat it, don’t ever shoot anything in your life for fun, life should not be wasted, now do yourself and nature a favour, cook their precious flesh and eat it, in future when you shoot any thing in life shoot it with a firm purpose or else refrain from taking unnecessary life”.
Many of my friends did shoot flying foxes with the sole aim of enjoying an exotic meal, but I could never bring myself to attend their partying. There was a time, I lived with the adage that I could eat everything that flew in the sky except the silver bird, I could eat anything that ran on the earth with four legs except the table I ate on, and I could eat anything that swam in the sea except the ship that I sailed on. Life over the years has mellowed me , now I go out of my way to teach youth that all creatures of nature are to be looked after and cared for as they were here much before us and that we have encroached on their territory and not the other way round.
Ooops I’ve lost track of what I set out to write, oh ! yea it was our glorious flying foxes; I love to watch them at dusk taking off from their roosting places and heading for a variety of fruit trees that flourish in this paradise of ours. They are known to eat at least 10 times their weight; they feed on nectar, flowers, and juice of fruits. They have well developed eyes, imparting them with good night vision. They have a keen sense of smell which helps them to zoom right into food foraging areas. Our open electric high tension wires are a potential threat to these silent graceful mammals. As these creatures do not possess the sonar sounding abilities of their micro cousins they up being electrocuted when the weather is foggy and misty.
We Abuites have been living with nature for eons, the flying foxes have been here and will always be here, living a life of peace and harmony.
Today the official Mount Abu site will be launched from the “Trevor’s Oval”’ to grace the occasion the Minister of Social Welfare and empowerment Mr. Arjun Singh Dewda, the Collector Siddharth Mahejan (IAS) , S.D.M Mrs.Poonam (IAS) and the Chairman of the municipality Mr.Jalam Giri will be present.
