Flying Foxes (Fruit Bats) in Samui

[phetphet]

Was watching what I thought were Eagles flying about this evening around 6pm,  over the big white development on the hill near SeaTran Pier.

 

On closer look, they were large bats. Flying Foxes I think. I know they are around Thailand, but it's the first time I have ever seen them here.

 

[plus7]

Hi,

There is a temple in Chochangsao with hundreds of them.

Free to visit.

Flying fox babies may sit on your hands.

[ESLTeacher1989]

3 hours ago, plus7 said:

Hi,

There is a temple in Chochangsao with hundreds of them.

Free to visit.

Flying fox babies may sit on your hands.

Great way to risk catching Covid 22 or Rabies 

[Gulfsailor]

Are you sure they were bats? I have seen the occasional bat on Samui, but swiftlets are far more common. Empty buildings get repurposed for swiflets to make nests in, and can house hundreds. Good business!

[phetphet]

6 hours ago, Gulfsailor said:

Are you sure they were bats? I have seen the occasional bat on Samui, but swiftlets are far more common. Empty buildings get repurposed for swiflets to make nests in, and can house hundreds. Good business!

 

6 hours ago, Gulfsailor said:

Are you sure they were bats? I have seen the occasional bat on Samui, but swiftlets are far more common. Empty buildings get repurposed for swiflets to make nests in, and can house hundreds. Good business!

Definitely not Swiftlets.

i thought these were Eagles at first. They were that big, but then noticed curves in the back of the wings and the small hand like appendages on the front.

I often see small bats in the evening after dark, but this was 6pm and still daylight, and these were much, much bigger.

 

i wonder if they might have got blown here from the mainland in the recent storms.

 

[PoorSucker]

I was told they were served at a restaurant on the mountain side of Chaweng 20 years ago. The blood in Lao Khao was popular among the Chinese population for boom-boom.

[kwilco]

On 10/17/2022 at 4:27 PM, ESLTeacher1989 said:

Great way to risk catching Covid 22 or Rabies 

No it isn't. Just check how these viruses are transmitted and then ask yourself what the likelihood is of this happening.

[phetphet]

Managed to take a couple of shots on my iphone this evening. See below.

 

Definitely large bats of some sort.

 

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

I have seen them from time to time here in Bangkok. I think some live in or near our mooban.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

On 10/21/2022 at 6:21 PM, kwilco said:

No it isn't. Just check how these viruses are transmitted and then ask yourself what the likelihood is of this happening.

I don't know specifically about flying foxes, but according to the CDC, bats are the leading vector of human rabies cases in the US. 

[jak2002003]

On 10/17/2022 at 10:27 PM, ESLTeacher1989 said:

Great way to risk catching Covid 22 or Rabies 

I think you are more likely to contract COVID 22 from another human.  And rabies...from street dogs, cats or rats, than from some fruit bats flying overhead. 

[jak2002003]

On 10/18/2022 at 11:18 AM, PoorSucker said:

I was told they were served at a restaurant on the mountain side of Chaweng 20 years ago. The blood in Lao Khao was popular among the Chinese population for boom-boom.

Idiot Chinese traditions.  They must be responsible for making many species be threatened with extinction......Why do so many of Chinese men seem to have a problem getting a hard on anyway? 

 

And the various parts of the wild animals they kill do not have any medicinal properties in the first place. 

[kwilco]

2 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

I don't know specifically about flying foxes, but according to the CDC, bats are the leading vector of human rabies cases in the US. 

ALL mammals can contract and transmit rabies – if you are bitten by ANY mammal you need to get rabies shots.

"Cases of human rabies cases in the United States are rare, with only 1 to 3 cases reported annually. Twenty-five cases of human rabies have been reported in the United States in the past decade (2009-2018). Seven of these infections were acquired outside of the U.S. and its territories." - CDC.

In the States contact with wild animals is the leading cause of rabies - Racoons, Bats etc.. Most dogs and cats are more likely vaccinated or at least not feral so the risk is less.

To catch rabies you need to be bitten by any mammal at all. If it just breaks the skin a little bit, you need a course of rabies injections.

In Thailand, the majority of animals affected by rabies in Thailand are dogs. The affected dogs can be owned, free or semi-free roaming, and are likely to be unvaccinated. 

 

You have to consider what the chances are in Thailand of being bitten by a mammal and which mammals re most likely to bite you.

How often to do come into close contact with a dog, how often do you catch or stroke a bat?

 

The fact is that almost all rabies cases in humans in Thailand come from dogs.

  

[kwilco]

2 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

Idiot Chinese traditions.  They must be responsible for making many species be threatened with extinction......Why do so many of Chinese men seem to have a problem getting a hard on anyway? 

 

And the various parts of the wild animals they kill do not have any medicinal properties in the first place. 

TCM is one of the greatest threats to our environment - Unfortunately there is a large group of people in Thailand (and elsewhere in Asia) who think it is beneficial or traditional to eat wild animals and plants - they are just a danger to the planet

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

16 minutes ago, kwilco said:

ALL mammals can contract and transmit rabies – if you are bitten by ANY mammal you need to get rabies shots.

"Cases of human rabies cases in the United States are rare, with only 1 to 3 cases reported annually. Twenty-five cases of human rabies have been reported in the United States in the past decade (2009-2018). Seven of these infections were acquired outside of the U.S. and its territories." - CDC.

In the States contact with wild animals is the leading cause of rabies - Racoons, Bats etc.. Most dogs and cats are more likely vaccinated or at least not feral so the risk is less.

To catch rabies you need to be bitten by any mammal at all. If it just breaks the skin a little bit, you need a course of rabies injections.

In Thailand, the majority of animals affected by rabies in Thailand are dogs. The affected dogs can be owned, free or semi-free roaming, and are likely to be unvaccinated. 

 

You have to consider what the chances are in Thailand of being bitten by a mammal and which mammals re most likely to bite you.

How often to do come into close contact with a dog, how often do you catch or stroke a bat?

 

The fact is that almost all rabies cases in humans in Thailand come from dogs.

  

This does not justify handling bats.

[kwilco]

2 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

This does not justify handling bats.

That's correct - unless your are "bat-<deleted>" crazy. As you can see from the figures, most people don't ever do this or even come into close contact with a bat.

The thing is in the USA people appear to try and remove bats from their property.

I lived in Brisbane and approximately 20,000 fruit bats flew out from their roost over may house 4 or 5 times a week - there is no need or likelihood to come into contact with them. Except when they die on the electric cables outside, then the council disposed of them. So even if they were carrying the virus - and they also carry another "Nipah virus". But as explained the chances for them being a successful vector is ridiculously slim.

 

however I when I see people stroking stray dogs in this country, it makes me cringe.

I was only bitten once by a dog in Thailand and that was one owned by a hotel - it came out and nipped my ankle - I got straight on a motorcycle taxi and went to the nearest hospital and had a course of 3 rabies jabs - I'd had 2 before setting out from home.

 

So I repeat - "Great way to risk catching Covid 22 or Rabies " - no it's not

[Tropicalevo]

Bats live in the 'water tank/pump' area under my house.

They sometimes fly into the house looking for insects.

They are not a danger.

Now the snakes...........

[Neilly]

On 10/29/2022 at 5:55 PM, phetphet said:

Managed to take a couple of shots on my iphone this evening. See below.

 

Definitely large bats of some sort.

 

 

I used to see them every evening, 100's of them, they used to fly over our house at dusk from Five Islands at go up into the hills on Samui to feed on the fruit. I remember one poor guy posting on here asking how to clean bat poo off this sandwash around his pool. he was on their flight path off the island and used to get bombed regularly.