Bats killed, evicted to make Mangsor Cave tourist friendly

Mungchan Zimik
Ukhrul, Nov 5 : The population of bats in Khang-khui Mangsor cave has de- creased drastically due to anthropogenic activities, endangering the existence of the mammal found in the limestone cave.
Extensive killing and deforestation of the surroun- ding forest areas of Khangkhui Mangsor limestone cave are some of the factors which threaten the survival of the small mammal, birds and rodents in the area.
A study published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa by researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) claimed that bats were killed and evicted from Khangkhui Cave after 2016-17 purportedly to make it "more tourist-friendly."
Three species of bats were found located in this large limestone cave albeit in smaller numbers and they were R Perniger, R Lepidus and H Lankadiva.
Khangkhui Mangsor cave is a large cave system with multiple passageways and is a very popular tourist destination in Ukhrul.
According to sources, the limestone cave used to house a large population of  Rhinolophus hipposideros bats. But they were killed and evicted out of the cave purportedly to make the cave more tourist friendly in the past few years.
The team also conducted a survey in Mova Cave of Hungpung village of Ukhrul district, and found Miniop-terus magnater Sanborn bats (Western Bent-Winged Bat)  inhabiting it.
This correspondent interacted with SZ Rammayang, secretary of Khangkhui Khullen Tourism Development Committee (KKTDC) regarding the matter.
According to him, the population of bats in Man-gsor Cave has declined considerably due to deforestation of the adjacent areas for agricultural purposes.
Due to the shrinkage of forest coverage, the volume of spring water being released from the limestone cave is also decreasing as compared to 10 years back, he added.
Cutting of wild banana plants on a large scale was another factor which led to the dwindling of bats' population as the mammal feed on it. Reportedly, the villagers of Khangkhui used to eat bats for treatment of diseases in the past.
According to the survey reports of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), bats   also fall prey to traps set up to catch birds occasionally.
Many communities in rural areas consider hunting as a traditional way of life and they are less aware of the importance of protecting wildlife.