By capturing bats, these “virus hunters” hope to stop the next pandemic The widest image

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Investigators wearing headlights and protective suits rush to untangle the claws and wings of bats trapped in a large net after dark in the Philippine province of Laguna.

Small animals are carefully placed in cloth bags to be taken away, measured and absorbed, with the details recorded and the saliva and fecal matter collected for analysis before being returned to nature.

. Laguna, Philippines. Reuters / Eloisa Lopez

“As we continue to have close contact with wildlife, we are deliberately exposed to disease and danger. If we can’t stop it, we could also develop control measures to minimize the impacts of possible future outbreaks. This This is why this research is important.Because we have reference data on the nature and occurrence of the potentially zoonotic virus in bats, we can somehow predict possible outbreaks and establish appropriate, robust, science-based health protocols. said Kirk Taray, a bat ecologist. .

Beyond working in the lab, research requires long field trips, which involve trapping for hours through the density of the rainforest and precarious night excursions to mountains covered in rocks, tree roots, mud and moss.

The group also heads to bat houses in buildings, setting up anti-weather nets before sunset to capture bats and extract samples in the light of torches.

. Laguna, Philippines. Reuters / Eloisa Lopez

Alviola has a bat captured on Mount Makiling.

Each bat stays firmly in the head as researchers insert tiny swabs into their mouths and record wingspan with plastic rulers to try to see which of the more than 1,300 species and 20 families of bats are most susceptible to infections and why.

Researchers wear protective clothing, masks and gloves when in contact with bats, as a precaution against catching viruses.

. Laguna, Philippines. Reuters / Eloisa Lopez

“I can teach students and I’m still a student. It’s fun. Being in the field even for 24 hours means being in the office from eight to five,” Cosico said.

“It’s scary today,” said Edison Cosico, who helps Alviola. “It is never known if the bat is already a carrier.

“What we’re looking for is to find out if there are more bat viruses that can be transmitted to humans. We’ll never know if the next one is like COVID.”

Most of those captured are horseshoe bats known to harbor coronavirus, including the closest known relative of the new coronavirus.

. Laguna, Philippines. Reuters / Eloisa Lopez

“With the ongoing pandemic, more caution is being taken in studying bats. Various measures and protocols are in place to protect both researchers and bats. In addition, quarantine restrictions and community travel added difficulties especially in accessing in possible study areas, ”Taray said.

Human exposure and closer interaction with wildlife meant the risk of disease transmission was higher than ever, said Kirk Taray, a bat ecologist.

“Given baseline data on the nature and occurrence of the potentially zoonotic virus in bats, we can somehow predict possible outbreaks.”

PHOTO EDITION MARIKA KOCHIASHVILI; WRITING MARTIN PETTY, EDITOR KARISHMA SINGH; DISPOSITION OF JULIA DALRYMPLE

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