Pemba's flying foxes
Flying foxes have a distribution that stretches from Australia and the Pacific across south-east Asia to the western Indian Ocean. No flying foxes are found on mainland Africa, although two species are recorded within the territory of Tanzania on offshore islands. One of these is the Pemba flying fox Pteropus voeltzkowi, which is endemic to the island of Pemba - 40 km offshore, adjacent to the island of Zanzibar.
First described in 1909, this species is distinctive for its bright chestnut-orange fur, and weighs in at around half a kilo. As with most fruit bats, it feeds mainly on fruit, but may also consume nectar, pollen and leaves.
The Pemba flying fox has traditionally been hunted by Pembaris as a source of food, originally using simple traps on long sticks, and more recently with shotguns. Reports in the early 1990s indicated that the species was at risk of extinction as a result of hunting and habitat loss, and consequently the species was listed as Critically Endangered.
Funding from the Lubee Foundation and the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund has enabled Fauna & Flora International to support the Forestry Department on Pemba to undertake a range of conservation activities for the past 12 years. These have included an extensive education campaign, establishment of environmental clubs to protect roosts close to villages, meetings with hunters and key decision makers, and ongoing monitoring of the bat population. We have also helped to develop community ecotourism enterprises, revenue from which will ensure the long-term conservation of the species as well as a stable income for many Pembaris.
As a result, the population count of flying foxes has increased from 200 in the early 1990's to over 19,000 today! The IUCN - the World Conservation Union has recently downgraded the species from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable. FFI is now closing its project on Pemba, confident in the dedication of the Forestry Deaprtment and local communities to protect this charismatic species.
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