This is what they do to learn more
about the different species that
live in this region.
They are nervous.
We are told not to hold them for long.
You would forget that the night-time world is teeming
of wild animals.
Night creatures such as bats are the key
to the survival of the environment,
but their mysterious lives and our fear
of them have kept bats on the edge
in the field of nature conservation efforts.
How can we preserve the wild habitats we love
if we ignore the dark side of the planet?
Many species of bats are threatened,
yet few people know why they are useful.
National Geographic and Rolex send me
through Mexico to the link between bats and people
to investigate and what average citizens can do
to help them.
My first stop is the Calakmul biosphere.
The birthplace of an ancient Mayan empire
that honored bats and home to one
of the country’s densest bats populations.
My journey begins with Begona and Daniela,
two researchers who took me to a family,
threatened by a shrinking jungle,
of leaf-nosed bats that live in an ancient Mayan temple.
There are many mountains in the Maya jungle
but they are not mountains, but historical constructions.
bats have a wonderful place to live in.
Threatened by a shrinking jungle,
his ruins like this are their last refuge.
Moist and high, the temples
from Calakmul provide leaf-nose bats
with a safe environment, far from human threats
such as destruction of habitats and vandalism.
Wow beautiful.
The nose.
Wow.
A corner stone type, bats indicate health
of an ecosystem.
They keep insect populations under control,
pollinate plants and spread seed
about large areas.
Seen as a symbol of fertility, the
bats worshiped and endowed with a mystical status.
When the twilight falls, we wait for the mouth of
Volcan de las Murcielagos, known as the bat volcano.
Holy for the Maya, they believed
to be an entrance to the underworld.
At present, there are about four million bats
leaving the cave and going up in a spiral.
They spread everywhere.
The amazing thing is the sound.
They feast on millions of insects,
what makes the environment liveable.
I understand why the Maya honored them.
But Begona and Daniela warn me
that the bat populations fall sharply,
one of their biggest threats is human persecution.
To understand why, I traveled to Tepoztlan
to meet the world authority of bats,
Dr. Rodrigo Medellin.
– We’re taking you to the real house
from the only real mating cave
of a Mexican snout bat.
We always have to use infrared light.
Ensure as little inconvenience as possible.
– [Alexandra] feeds on nectar,
the Mexican snout bat
is a migrating species that is closely connected
to the seasonal flowering of plants.
Due to recent climate changes, without a food source,
many are starving.
– [Rodrigo] Two or three times
I have witnessed a very sad image.
I walked in the cave
and the floor of the cave was completely covered
with the bones of baby bats.
– [Alexandra] As a result of modern myth
and pop culture, bats have become synonymous
with vampires and the devil.
This has led to vandalism and destruction
of their caves.
– And what you can see here is not a toy.
It is a real altar for the devil.
People come and do ceremonies
for the devil.
Unfortunately, this puts them at risk
because people are destroying their caves,
so the populations have fallen heavily
In recent years.
– [Alexandra] Rodrigo dispels these myths
by changing general perceptions
from demonic bats to ecological superheroes.
– There are three major ecosystem services,
or benefits that we get from bats.
Pest control, seed dispersal,
and the third service is pollination.
We would not have any harvest without bats.
Mexicans have a very close relationship.
The spirit that really is part
our identity is connected to bats.
You drank coffee or tea in the morning,
you have a link to bats.
You eat your tortilla corn here,
you have a link to bats.
Or you drink your tequila.
Guess?
You have a drink for bats.
The Mayans were right.
These bats do a lot for us.
– [Alexandra] Types like the long-snout bats travel
from places like the Devil’s Cave to Oaxaca
to pollinate one of Mexico’s most important crops,
agave, the plant that is used to tequila
and mezcal.
Mezcal forms the core of the Oazaca culture
and economy.
Agava deficits and an increase
the demand for mezcal is a complicated threat
for bats.
Agavas must be harvested before they bloom,
do not leave food for the bats that trust
about pollinating it.
I came here to meet Graciela,
a fourth generation mezcal producer.
They harvest in a bio-dynamic way,
part of them fertilized by bats,
which makes me mezcal bat-friendly
and supports the symbiotic relationship
between the animal and the plants.
Bats suffer from being misunderstood
and to be ignored.
Bat-friendly distilleries help shed light
on the connection between bats
and people.
But what bats need the most
to be defended for what they are,
invisible heroes.
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