Bats are indeed beneficial to us… although this is a notion that some people find difficult to accept. In many parts of the world, today still, bats are HATED and FEARED and they are often associated with EVIL and DEATH. This is very unfortunate!
In Chinese folklore, the bat has few rivals as a symbol of good luck and good fortune. In fact, the Chinese word for bat, fu, is also the Chinese word for good fortune. Five bats are frequently shown together to represent the five blessings – a long life, wealth, good health, love of virtue, and a natural death.
On the Pacific islands of Samoa, flying foxes are depicted as heroes in a folktale where they save a princess!!!
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BATS
1. Many people believe that bats are blind, but in fact they have excellent vision.
2. Bats are often thought as flying mice and in fact the German word for bat is fledermaus, which means “flying mouse”. Reality, most people are surprised when they learn that bats are actually more closely related to Primates, including US!
3. People often use term ‘dingbat’ for stupid people but in fact, bats are quite intelligence and can be trained under special circumstances.
4. Bats are mistakenly depicted as dirty. In fact, they spend a great deal of time grooming themselves and keeping themselves clean.
5. Misinformed people think of bats as symbol of EVIL and associates with DRACULA. In reality, most bats are gentle animals that will bite only if they are scared or improperly handled.
