Batting for fruit bats, Sampatti residents say no to firecrackers
The Hindu
Thousands of mammals nest in the fruit trees growing out of the ruins of a temple located near Balraj’s house
Sampatti village, located on the outskirts of Manapparai town, will remain tranquil this Deepavali, as it has for the past nine years — all for a lofty cause.
The residents are playing samaritan to a large population of fruit bats nesting on a cluster of trees on the property of a farmer.
A. Balraj shifted to a house nestled between large trees, near his ancestral property, years ago. The remains of a temple dedicated to his family deity too stands here, and from its ruins grow several large peepal trees, on which thousands of bats nest.
In 2011, the Karnataka government announced that five botanical gardens will be developed on the lines of the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru across the State. But according to the latest developments, there will only be four such gardens as the Horticulture Department is most likely to drop the project that was supposed to come up in Chikkaballapura district.