Ryukyu flying foxes might be making a comeback in Hualien County, with a study finding more than 50 after years of steep population decline has left no more than 200 nationwide.
The findings were announced at an event organized by the county government on Thursday as part of its campaign to preserve the endangered species.
Although relatively stable in Japan and the Philippines, Taiwan’s population of the fruit bat has fallen significantly to less than that of the Formosan black bear and leopard cat.
Photo courtesy of the Hualien County Government via CNA
They can still be spotted on Yilan County’s Turtle Island (龜山島) and Taitung County’s Green Island (綠島), with the most stable population on Taiwan proper in Hualien County.
Previous estimates had pegged the Hualien population at 29 to 50, although a survey commissioned by the county government has found a slight uptick, including in places where they had not been spotted for years.
Chung Hsiu-chou (鍾秀綢), head of the Society of Wilderness’ Hualien chapter, who has been monitoring the flying fox population, said that his team of more than 40 trained volunteers observed the bats countywide, especially in Hualien City, Jian Township (吉安) and Shoufeng Township (壽豐).
They were also rediscovered at four elementary-school campuses, including Hualien City’s Beibin Elementary School, where an event was held on Thursday to promote education about the bats.
Growing to about 20cm long on average with a wingspan of more than 1m, the Ruykyu flying fox is named for its face, which resembles a dog or fox.
Primarily a frugivore, it emerges at night to eat fruit, flowers and other plant material, although it also eats insects.
Illegal hunting used to be their primary threat, but now their most pressing threat is habitat destruction, the Hualien County Agriculture Department said.
Despite the threats, there have been increased sightings at the mouth of the Meilun River (美崙溪), the department said.
To protect its still miniscule population, the county is working with the Forestry Bureau’s Hualien Forest District Office to educate people about conservation, starting with the four schools, department director Wu Kun-ju (吳昆儒) said, adding that it hopes to eventually expand the effort nationwide.
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