SAVE THE MARIANA FRUIT BAT
Zoos and Refugees Are Doing Their Part!
Guam National Wildlife Refuge Steps In!
The Guam National Refuge, part of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, has three locations on the island of Guam with the purpose of regrowing the population of local species, the Mariana Fruit Bat included (About the Refuge, 2015). Over 1,000 acres have been designated to the Mariana Fruit Bat species, proving highly beneficial because of the strict regulation of the invasive Brown Tree Snake, which uses its exotic advantage to prey on the Fruit Bat youth when sleeping in trees (About the Refuge, 2015) More information on Brown Tree Snakes found in ‘non-native’ section in website. This kind of rehabilitation for the Mariana Fruit Bat is extremely beneficial because refuges allow the species to repopulate in its natural setting without becoming dependent on a human regulated environment, like a zoo.
Meet Ding! The Media Sensation of 1984!
Ding, a Fruit Bat born in the Milwaukee County Zoo, lost his Mom after birth in captivity due to a heart attack (Payne, 1984). After the incident, Ding spent the rest of his life working with zoos to help destigmatize bats (Payne, 1984). Since then, the captivity of Mariana Fruit Bats in zoos has been used as a gateway to illustrate to the public how bats are not just scary vampires, but that they are tiny, precious, furry creatures that serve crucial roles in their environment. Zoos like the Oakland Zoo, with 11 male Fruit Bats, have even included them in youth education presentations (Bat, Island Flying Fox, 2013). Through educating the public, zoos persuade people to actually care about the species, and allows them to help fund projects to save the species. However, zoos must begin releasing these bats, because as of 2011 none were reported to be set into the wild from inland zoos (Zoo Rescue). This is due to the difficulty discovered with breeding the animals in captivity, which is becoming further researched in the next few years (Zoo Rescue).
Zoos and Refuges: The Solution?
Zoos and Refugees, while taking different approaches, both aim to reach a similar goal: to preserve and rebuild endangered species. However, both of these efforts are human derived, and only function with the continued help of humans. These efforts are only temporary solutions. The Mariana Fruit Bat is only able to pollinate, fertilize, and fill its ecological niche to benefit other living organisms if it is in its wild environment, which it is not in these refuges and zoos. If left out of their place for too long, another species will have the opportunity to come and replace it. Therefore, at some point the Mariana Fruit Bat must be returned to its natural and wild environment in the Guam forests, and ushered away from the protected zoos and refuges.
