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In the context of the International Bat Week, celebrated from the 24th to 31st October, step into the enchanting world of bats with Ashmi Bunsy. She is Flora and bats Project Coordinator at the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, and at the same time, a part-time student for a PhD in Ecology/Conservation with a specialization on insectivorous bats at the University of Mauritius. Her PhD necessitates monitoring the Mauritius cave bat (Mormopterus acetabulosus) also known as the Mauritius free-tailed bat, a species endemic to Mauritius. Its’ survival faces many threats including overuse of chemical pesticides, illegal dumping, cave filling, or the use of caves for tourism or religious practices.
Imagine being in a cave somewhere in Mauritius in complete darkness with strident calls coming from everywhere and lots of flashy movements all around you. The human brain being what it is, many of us would have been paralyzed with fear and would have probably run for our lives. But for Ashmi Bunsy it is just a normal night at work. Indeed, as part of her PhD thesis titled ‘Ecology of the endemic and endangered Mauritius Free-tailed bat’, she goes into caves to monitor the populations of the Mauritius Cave Bat.
Ashmi describes herself as “a short Batwoman who has set her sights on saving the Mauritius Cave Bat.” This unique species has changed her life and her perception of nature. Once very fearful of bats during her younger years, Ashmi Bunsy is today one of the bats' most ardent admirers. “It might sound creepy but I feel very comfortable when I visit caves at night for my surveys on the Mauritius Cave Bat”, says Ashmi, with a warm smile. Her old fear of them has been transformed into admiration and even passion for them. “If one struggles to find their way out of the caves, just follow the bats. They will guide you out.”
Her perception of bats had changed to such an extent that she decided to dedicate her PhD on the Mauritius Cave Bat. She has just published a research paper in this context entitled ‘Cave-roosting specialisation of an oceanic island endemic microbat elevates extinction risks as caves face multiple threats. This paper was written under the main supervision of Dr Vincent Florens, Associate Professor at the University of Mauritius. The study confirms the species’ exclusive roosting in lava caves making it the only one of seven 𝑀𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 species in the world to have such a specialised roosting behaviour, highlighting the numerous threats the species faces and the urgent need for legal protection of its habitat.
Ashmi sees bats as fabulous creatures, which offer a lot of services to nature like seed dispersal, plant pollination and insect pest removal. “They are just formidable, they do such much for us and yet they are wrongly perceived as strange animals that do not need our consideration”, says Ashmi sadly. The reason for this is, as she says, ignorance. “When I feared and hated bats a long time ago, I was just ignorant of them. When I had the opportunity to learn about them, it changed everything. I started seeing them as allies instead of scary. I think, the only way to change this perception is through the dissemination of information about bats. The more we know about them, the less we tend to fear them.”
Apart from bats, Ashmi is also passionate about conservation as a whole. She helps flora ecosystems, which will provide food and habitat for Mauritian endemic species, to thrive through her job at MWF.
With such a busy agenda, Ashmi says that there is no secret to be able to cope but a very good sense of time management. The support of her PhD’s main supervisor, her mother, partner and fellow PhD mates also helps in keeping her motivation high.
