She lives with the active volcanos of the Hawaii, works for the Smithsonian Institution for the research of tropics in the heart of the Panama Channel, studying the life of the African bats. Despite all this, Bulgaria is the most exotic country where she has faced the most interesting adventures. That is what young and energetic bat researcher Antonia Hubancheva claims. “I have never known that I will see so many places. My family was not well off and we never travelled. However, things turned around and now I tour around the globe,” Antonia says and adds that all her journeys so far have been job-related. She selected her future profession literally in 5 minutes, during a young scientists’ presentation of the life of bats. What is that attracts her to those flying mice?

“The fact that they are mammals that we know so little about is my main attraction. Yes, they are small and puffy, but that doesn’t make them mice. They are so intelligent! Just like the dogs! I even dare to say that my dog is far more stupid than most bats,” Tony says.

Is it easy to make contact with bats?

“They are extremely friendly! There is nothing more pleasant on this world than a bat eating from the palm of my hand. They are smacking so strongly, they express such pleasure with eating that you would like to taste an insect as well,” Tony says.

Many Bulgarian scientists opt for a career abroad nowadays, but Antonia has stayed here. Why?

“Science is something difficult and underpaid across the globe. The competition is dreadful – those who fight for funding are like the smartest guys in the world. It’s just that you have to show greater initiative in Bulgaria. The world is much more open today. My generation has the huge luck to travel freely and to apply for whatever comes to your mind. Yes, they will most likely say: ”You are no good!”, but nothing bothers a try. I am inspired and happy with the constant contact with young people, who know what they want from life.”

Tony never gathers preliminary information whenever she goes somewhere. Isn’t that risky?

“I just happened to be really unprepared for my first big journey, I had no idea where I was going to. I had no expectations either. Then I saw much more than all those, who always prepare in advance. These are two different strategies, but I found my way due to a coincidence.”

Tony wouldn’t hide that Latin America is still her greatest passion, pointing out that:

“My heart was conquered since early childhood with a poem by Kipling: “Brazil, Brazil, shall I see it before I get too old?” Those jungles, so wild and untouched – I saw it in my imagination! And now I am really happy because I am setting off for the state of Guyana in a week, right in the heart of the Latin American jungle. We will make a scientific documentary on the life of bats, and a particular species – a huge, orange one, with great and scary nails for fishing. We hope to tell a bit more on these animals that are related with magic only and nothing positive.”

A few months ago Antonia was in Africa and she returned with a few malaria parasites and several scars, along with the feeling that life is uncontrollable…

English version: Zhivko Stanchev