It has been hard enough battling the problems posed by pigeons for some years without success. The last thing we wanted was to contend with other winged visitors.
Sadly, for a few months, two winged creatures have been driving us batty. These bats wing their way merrily to hang themselves upside down from a nook of our balcony. Frankly, I don’t mind if such creatures take up free residence on our premises as long as they live quietly without creating annoyance. Unfortunately, that is not to be.
It was some months ago that we noticed half-eaten fruits, seeds, assorted bits and some faeces in our balcony. Initially, we turned a blind eye but when this unseemly sight greeted us every morning, we had to probe. It didn’t take long to pin down the nocturnal culprits who returned to their hideout, eating all night and making a mess with their droppings.
The eyesore notwithstanding, who wants to mess with such creatures. For all we knew, it might well be a vampire bat that could sneak into the house one night and suck our blood! Worse, we heard bats may be carrying the coronavirus.
Enough was enough. We decided to act like a bat out of hell. The ploy we employed was to chase them away each time they came “home”. But that was an exercise in futility; they doggedly returned to their perch once we got inside.
Multiple strategies
We devised various strategies — abruptly opening the door and splashing water; keeping the balcony lights on all night; hanging a wind chime. I even placed a scary mask near its perch. Nothing deterred the bats. They were defying us brazenly.
After some weeks, folks at home couldn’t be bothered. Whenever I complained about the bats, they didn’t bat an eyelid. The maid, realising precious little could be done, cursed the bats every day while cleaning the mess.
I turned to a friend. “You, silly old bat,” he guffawed and went on to lecture about how beneficial bats are for the ecosystem, literally batting for these creatures.
Seeing my determined efforts over the months to get rid of the bats, our neighbour advised me to ignore it and get on with life. You must have bats in the belfry if you think you can drive them away, he said seriously, adding they will leave on their own.
Not quite reassured, I finally threw in the towel. Occasionally, when I step into the balcony after dusk, I catch a glimpse of the bats flying away, only to return.
Meanwhile, our maid spreads a newspaper sheet every evening on the balcony, making her task of cleaning easier.
Alas, until these unwelcome visitors leave on their own, it is, if I may twist a line of the old song, que sera sera, ‘bat’ will be, will be”!
stanleycarvalho@gmail.com
