Bats and a Buddha

The discovery of an Angkorian-era Buddha statue at the site of the magnificent Ta Prom temple three days ago has rightly gathered much attention. The near two-metre high figure, which, sadly, is missing its head, is the largest found since  the late 1970's. A combination of heavy rain and an Indian government-bankrolled restoration project led to the discovery.

Garnering less attention is the discovery of three new species of 'Tube-nosed' bats deep with Cambodian and Vietnamese forests. Tube-nosed because if you look carefully you'll see their extraordinary nostrils which look much like a blooming flower.

These handsome creatures have evaded detection for so long primarily because they fly just centimeters above the forest floor, thus avoiding the nets traditionally used to trap bats.

Deforestation could see their rapid demise.

“It is a Buddha sitting on a Naga, and seems to be a very huge thing indeed,” said, UNESCO Culture Program specialist Philippe Delanghe.

“Such a big statue is quite a significant find – it looks at least as big as the famous Buddha at the Bayon temple.”