Under the Gun
Hunting is threatening bats in Malaysia
Bats can’t seem to catch a break. Some are fighting off white-nose syndrome, while others dodge the deadly blades of wind turbines. Now, researchers report that one species – the Malayan flying fox – is in danger of local extinction from over-hunting.
Malayan flying foxes can be legally hunted for sport on Peninsular Malaysia. As eaters of cultivated fruit, they are also considered agricultural pests that can be “culled” to protect orchards. And some people believe their meat can treat respiratory illness, making the bats a target of hunting for medicine.
Researchers studied hunting license sales in Peninsular Malaysia between 2002 and 2005 and estimated that at least 87,800 bats had been killed during that time. According to one model, that hunting rate could drive the population locally extinct in six to 81 years, the authors write in the Journal of Applied Ecology. The number of bat deaths is likely to be even higher, they speculate, since it does not include illegal kills or culling for agriculture.
Satellite-based tracking revealed that Malayan flying foxes frequently cross borders into Indonesia and Thailand. The bats need to be protected across their entire range, just like other migratory animals such as birds and marine mammals, the researchers say. They recommend that Peninsular Malaysia ban hunting of flying foxes temporarily so that the population can begin recovery. – Roberta Kwok
Source: Epstein, J.H. et al. 2009. Pteropus vampyrus, a hunted migratory species with a multinational home-range and a need for regional management. Journal of Applied Ecology DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01699.x
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