(MY) brown flying foxes disappearing

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2007/07/05

Fuzzy brown flying foxes have disappeared-New Straits Times

 

MUAR, Thurs:

 

A few years ago, anyone standing on Johor's west coast and gazing

towards Sumatra could see columns of brown, fuzzy bats flying from the

Indonesian island towards Malaysia.

But now, veteran bat watchers have not even spotted one of these

flying foxes. They suspect that forest fires in Sumatra have wiped out

the population.

 

Fisherman Ng Ah Wat, 54, of Bagan, Batu Pahat, remembers most of the

flight routes of the bats which come to Malaysia during the fruit

harvest seasons.

 

" They used to fly in columns of thousands across the Straits of

Malacca towards Johor as there are many fruit orchards here. But I

have not spotted one for the past six months. "

 

With a wingspan of about 1.2 metres, flying foxes (pteropus vampyrus)

are some of the largest bats, but unlike the latter, they feed only on

fruits and have very good eyesight.

The flying fox lives mostly in forests and swamps in coastal areas and

gets its name from its reddish fur and the shape of its head, which

resembles a fox.

 

Ser Sway Lek, 50, had shot flying foxes in the past with his friends,

waiting for them to fly in along the coasts of Sungai Balong.

 

" Just a few years ago, we could still bag about 200 of them in one

session. But we gave up last year as the bats just stopped coming. "

 

Ser believes that current climatic changes and frequent forest fires

in Sumatra have wiped out the population.

 

During the good times Lim Chai Kiat, 45, had exported the flying fox

meat as it was a delicacy.