Stone Temple Pilots

In Bengali there are two words for bats. Badur is used to refer to the largest of the fruit bats, particularly Pteropus giganteus. Chamchika refers to all other types of smaller bats. So our big question after arriving in the Faridpur district was "chamchika kothae?" that translates into where are the small bats? Both Pitu and Gafur were readily able to assist us as both men live in villages nearby and they are more than familiar with the area.

While actively surveying possible roosts we came across a dilapidated structure nestled among trees and overgrown vines. The ancient building was a 400-year old temple that looked as if we had just stepped onto a Hollywood movie lot. The decaying edifice was punctuated by a gaping hole towards the roofline.  Peering inside from our location we were amazed to come across a large colony of bats. It was apparent that our earlier question had been answered and decided we would focus our sampling efforts right here for the next week.

Local legend has it that the site is actually haunted by a ghostly old woman dressed in white flowing clothes.  Perhaps she's the guardian of the temple or our good luck omen for the week ahead!

Temple ruins and roost of Rousettus leschenaultii near Faridpur, Bangladesh.

Reporting from Bangladesh, Wildlife Trust scientist Kevin Olival is working on the ecology of Nipah virus and the discovery of pathogens in bats.