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Numerous
species of bats in Boracay
Up
until the last decade, almost the entire island of Boracay was home to
numerous species of bats. Residents who went out on nature walks in the
less inhabited areas of the island could easily spot the three dominant
species: The Philippine giant flying fox, golden crowned flying fox and
the variable flying fox. People used to sit on the shore in front of
Beachcomber, a bar on Boracay’s White Beach, and watch the bats fly over
them at sunset, the time that bats wake up and begin to forage.
Today,
the bats’ only remaining roost is in Barangay Yapak, high in the hills of
the northern shore of Boracay. In the past 15 years Boracay’s bat
population has dropped alarmingly from 16,000 to about 3,000. Sadly, the
popular beach island’s fast-paced development and swelling human
population have driven the bats away.
Friends
of the Flying Foxes, founded by Julia Lervik, Ferit Temur, and Venus
Guadalupe in 1999, has now taken up the cause of stopping the decline of
the local bats by educating people and making them aware of the problem.
Unknown
to many, bats have a critical role in the reforestation of the island and
in helping purify the water. Boracay’s flying foxes, large, fruit bats
that sometimes grow up to 1.8 meters in wingspan expel the seeds of the
fruit they consume and thus hasten and encourage forest growth.
Without
this forest growth, many detrimental consequences come into play. The most
immediate one would be a drop in the quality of the local water supply.
Trees are a natural filter for water.
Aside
from the fruit bat, Boracay is also home to the smaller insect bat. Insect
bats are smaller than their fruit-eating cousins and roost in caves. As
the name implies, they consume insects, large quantities of insects or up
to 5,000 insects a night per bat. When the insect bat population is
thriving, insects are kept at a minimum. Pesticide use is low and the
danger of insect-borne diseases is greatly reduced.
Friends
of the Flying Foxes believe that people should see the bats as important
to the welfare of the island and not just as scary, nocturnal creatures.
One of the association’s immediate plans is to establish a bat information
center on the island. They are hoping that Barangay Yapak will be
designated as a wildlife sanctuary and they have plans of putting up an
information center there. They dream that the information center will
become a tourist destination in itself, with numerous exhibits and
possibly an observation tower to give people a closer look at the flying
fox, in particular.
Friends
of the Flying Foxes, which has just become an established non-stock,
non-profit association, is initially busy conducting information drives,
visiting all the neighborhood schools and ensuring that children do not
have an apathetic view of bats. The association also distributes
literature on bats for those who want to learn more about our nocturnal
friends.
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