Rare giant fruit bats spotted in Apayao forests

LUNA, Apayao, Philippines — A colony of giant fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, was recently sighted in the forests of Flora town in Apayao, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced.

The DENR said the rare bats were seen during a biodiversity monitoring mission by personnel of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of Calanasan town, as part of a two-week wildlife monitoring expedition in April.

According to the DENR in the Cordillera Administrative Region, the presence of the bats indicates that portions of Apayao’s forests remain healthy and largely undisturbed despite mounting environmental challenges.

Field observers said giant fruit bats thrive only in intact forest ecosystems where food sources and roosting sites remain abundant. 

Unlike insect-eating bats, flying foxes feed mainly on fruits and nectar and play a vital role in forest regeneration by dispersing seeds across wide areas. Some species are known to have wingspans of up to 1.5 meters, making them among the largest bats in the world.

Environmentalists said many bat roosting sites across the Cordillera have already disappeared due to illegal logging, land conversion and human encroachment.

Conservation groups warned that habitat destruction and hunting remain the biggest threats to giant fruit bats, noting that their populations are already declining in many parts of the country.

The groups said the sighting in Flora town underscores the importance of protecting old-growth forests and preserving ecosystems that sustain both wildlife and local communities.