The Forestry Division has launched an investigation into a disturbing video circulating on social media of a bat being burn alive.
The video which was posted on Facebook on July 16, has stirred emotions of disgust, sadness and anger with many calling for the person committing the act to be charged.
Describing the act as inhumanely cruel, the Papa Bois Conservation is calling on the authorities to take action against the offender.
Commenting on its Facebook page, the group lamented, “These bats (insectivores, called Mastiff Bats) that are being burnt alive in Princes Town, are screaming all through this horrifying experience. The name of the individual involved in this monstrous act is clear for the authorities to see.”
When contacted senior game warden Steve Seepersad said they were aware of the video and the incident was being investigated.
Confirming that it is illegal to kill bats, he said, “The general public has a phobia about bats, just like snakes they think bats are hideous and they don’t like them.”
He said there are 68 species of bats in the country; two species are vampire bats which feed on the blood of animals while the other species feed on insects, fruits and nectar.
The Wild Life Conservation Act was amended in 2016 and bats are no longer considered vermin.
The person responsible for burning the bat alive, if arrested and charged, faces a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine.
Seepersad said he has been in touch with Papa Bois Conservation and is awaiting further details.
Another video of animal cruelty which has been making its rounds on social media is two men force-feeding a juvenille iguana alcohol from a cup in a boat out at sea.
The men were laughing, saying that the iguana was “tight and sleeping.”
Facebook user Kuarlal Rampersad posted that video on the Facebook page of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Minister Clarence Rambharat calling on him to “find these people and do what is necessary.”