Shanghai bats are totally harmless and should be left in peace

Only three species of bats are found in Shanghai and none of them are the origin of the novel coronavirus, Shanghai's greenery and public sanitation bureau said on Saturday.

Preliminary analysis blames rhinolophus macrotis, the big-eared horseshoe bat, as the first bearer of the novel coronavirus.

The three bats seen in Shanghai are pipistrellus abramus, eptesicus serotinus schreber, and nyctalus plancyi, the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau said.

A resident in Minhang District called the bureau for help after finding a bat indoors.

Staff from the district’s wild animal protection station dismantled the kitchen ceiling and found evidence that bats had lived there. No bat was found but workers cleaned and disinfected the area to dispel the householder’s worries.

Big-eared horseshoe bat dwells in caves. Shanghai bats mainly live in holes and gaps of architecture, and they hibernate in winter, the bureau said.

If bats are seen at home, residents are advised to stay calm and not panic, the bureau said.

Bats do not harm people and residents should not disturb them, but call authorities for help instead.