與蝙蝠和平共存的後疫情時代
Peaceful Coexistence with Bats in the Post-pandemic Era
陳怡寧1 Yi-Ning Cheni
摘要 Abstract
蝙蝠會捕食病媒蚊及農藥害蟲，傳播花粉及果實，對生態平衡及維持人類生活品質非常重要。近年來新興傳染病掀起對蝙蝠的恐懼，讓原本就面對棲地被破壞，昆蟲食物被殺蟲劑汙染的蝙蝠面臨被驅趕及撲殺的威脅。工業化、密集農業、都市化及交通現代化造成野生動物與人類或家畜接觸的機會大幅增加，也讓人類有機會暴露到許多原本只存在野生動物族群裡的病原，其中有些病原便會感染人類並導致嚴重的人畜共通傳染病。 COVID-19 在全球大流行後，媒體持續將蝙蝠當做這次影響全球 197 個國家，造成超過 4 億人確診及超過 600 萬人死亡的疫情始作俑者，即使尚無完整的科學證據。人類必須在蝙蝠不可取代的生態重要性以及蝙蝠攜帶病原的風險間，維持與蝙蝠共存。首先，保護蝙蝠的自然棲地；其次，若自然棲地因開發而被破壞，應該提供蝙蝠替代的棲息地；面對棲息人類生活圈內的蝙蝠，應該減少對蝙蝠的干擾及驅趕；最重要的是維持良好的個人衛生習慣，避免直接接觸蝙蝠。在後疫情時代，當我們與蝙蝠和平共存才是保護人類及蝙蝠健康的最佳策略。
Bats are indispensable for ecological balance and maintaining the quality of human life, because they can prey on pathogen-carrying mosquitoes and pesticide pests in addition to spreading pollen and fruits. In recent years, emerging infectious diseases have raised public fear over bats, a species that has not only suffered from habitat destruction and pesticide-contaminated insect food, but also faced the threat of being driven away and culled. Industrialization, intensive agriculture, urbanization, and transportation modernization have markedly increased the risks of wild animals coming into contact with humans or livestock, and have also exposed humans to many pathogens that used to be found in wild animal populations only. Some of these pathogens can infect humans and cause serious zoonotic diseases. After the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the media, despite the lack of complete evidence, continue to claim bats as the villain of the piece of the outbreak that not only affected 197 countries around the world, but also caused more than 400 million confirmed cases and more than 6 million deaths. Humans must maintain coexistence with bats by striking a balance between their ecological irreplaceability and the risk of bats carrying pathogens. First of all, we should protect the natural habitats of bats. Secondly, if their natural habitats are destroyed due to urban development, alternative habitats for bats should be provided. For the bats living in human communities, we should reduce human disturbance and prevent people from driving them out. Most importantly, we should maintain good personal hygiene and avoid direct contact with bats. In the post-pandemic era, peaceful coexistence with bats is our optimum strategy to protect the health of both species.
關鍵詞：蝙蝠、病媒控制、共存、全球大流行、人畜共通傳染病
Keywords: Bats, Insects control, Coexistence, Pandemic, Zoonosis
1. 獸醫博士，中原大學生物科技系副教授。
i. DVM. PhD. Associate Professor, Department of Bioscience Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University.