Samal cave hosts record bat colony

By Jeffrey M. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

DAVAO CITY—THE WORLD’S largest colony of Geoffrey’s Rousette Fruit Bat (Rousetteus amplexicaudatus), one of the most hated and misunderstood creatures in the Philippines, is found in the Island Garden City of Samal, according to the Guinness World Records.

Conservationists say the recognition highlighted efforts to save the bat species.

The Texas-based Bat Conservation International (BCI) described the Monfort Cave bat sanctuary in Samal as among the few known to scientists. “If the wonder of nature still exists, then the bats at Monfort Cave are one of the very few left on Earth, particularly in the Philippines,” the BCI said in a report released in 2006.

Mariamarta Ruano-Graham, head of the records management team of Guinness, said in a letter to Norma Monfort, head of the Monfort Bat Cave and Conservation Foundation Inc., that the group took notice of the BCI estimate of 1.8 million bats living in the cave, which is inside the 24-hectare property owned by Monfort in Barangay Tambo in Samal.

New record

“You have set a new Guinness World Records … and a certificate to commemorate this is included,” Graham said in her letter dated Feb. 1.

“Although the certificate does not automatically guarantee an entry in our world-famous annual record, we do consider all new records for inclusion in future Guinness World Records publication and products.”

Monfort said the recognition gave importance to the bats and highlighted their role in protecting biodiversity.

“The role of bats in the environment and the ecosystem has been so understudied and undervalued, that you will be amazed to know that the diversity of many exotic fruits coming from the Davao region, such as the durian, has been scientifically attributed to bats as major pollinators,” she said.

“These creatures are friendly and are beneficial to the survival of the environment and the people,” Monfort said.

Urgency

She said the BCI’s assessment of the bat sanctuary in 2006 bolstered the validity of the urgent need to protect the mammals.

The BCI study, according to Monfort, showed an alarming decline in the population of the bats because of destructive human activities, including hunting them for food or just for fun.

Monfort said that in some areas of Samal, bats were still being eaten by humans.

The BCI team, she said, even found that some sanctuaries on the island had already been deserted by the bats.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Link: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20100212-252886/Samal-cave-hosts-record-bat-colony.