DAR ES SALAAM, April 27 -- EVERY year on International Bat Appreciation Day, conservationists and scientists around the world attempt to shift a long-standing narrative that has unfairly cast bats as symbols of fear, darkness, and danger.

In Tanzania, this narrative is deeply rooted in cultural myths and superstition. However, behind these misconceptions lies a powerful ecological truth: bats are among the most valuable yet overlooked contributors to environmental sustainability and economic stability.

In many communities, bats are associated with witchcraft, disease, or bad omens. These beliefs have contributed to their persecution, habitat destruction, and declining populations. Yet scientific evidence paints a very different picture....