Draft Recovery Plan For Spectacled Flying-Fox- Pteropus Conspicillatus

Draft Recovery Plan For Spectacled Flying-Fox- Pteropus ConspicillatusBackground

The spectacled flying fox is also known as the spectacled fruit bat. Richards and Hall (2000, p.13) note that the species can be easily identified from other flying foxes due to its distinctive straw-coloured fur that surrounds its eyes. This fur can also be present on the species’ shoulders as well as the head. The head and the body length is 22-25cm while its weight ranges between 400-1000 grams (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database, 2010). According to The Australian Society for Microbiology magazine (2005, p.59), the spectacled flying fox was one of the 36 identified as threatened in the country in 1999. As a result, the species was listed as vulnerable under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in the same year (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database, 2010).

Statistics from Richards and Hall (2000, p2) indicate that the genus Pteropus to which the spectacled flying fox belong form a population of 65 species worldwide. Spectacled flying foxes live in colonies in rainforests, mangroves, paper bark and eucalyptus forests. As such, their global colonies have been identified in Australia (North east Queensland, Northern Cardwell), Indian Ocean, India, Pakistan, Burma, South East Asia, Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea and islands of West Pacific Ocean (Richards and Hall 2000, p.2) The Australian Government Biodiversity database (2010) notes that the population of the animal reduced from 820,000 to 80,000 in 2000, a recorded a decrease of 35%. The Australian Society for Microbiology (2005, p.59) lists habitat loss, roost disturbance and a variety of diseases as some of the primary causes of their extinct.

Characteristics of the spectacled flying fox which have accelerated their vulnerability include amongst others biological features such as relative longevity, late sexual maturity, seasonal breading and low fecundity. The spectacled flying fox has been known to host a contagious virus Hendra which has also been a concern for humans and horses (p.59).

The Table below shows the Scientific Classification of the Pteropus conspicillatus (Adopted from Gould, 2000).

Kingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder ChiropteraFamily PteropodidaeGenus PteropusSpecies Pteropus conspicillatusThreatening Processes

The following processes whether current or previous have been noted to reduce spectacled flying foxes numbers.

Increased Land Use

Population pressures have led to humans encroaching on the otherwise reserved bat ecological habitats. The Microbiology of Australia (2005, p. 59) argue that the destruction of lowlands and uplands have exposed the roosting bats. As a result of the interaction with human beings, the animals have been forced to break their colonies and seek new homes. The divided and smaller colonies become exposed to predators as a result

Volant Viruses and Diseases

Spectacled flying foxes, like many bats, have developed a long and intimate association with viruses (Microbiology of Australia 2005, p.59). As such, the dangerous Hendra and Menangle viruses have been known to be hosted by this animal. Its population in northern Queensland has also quickly reduced as a result of increased infestation by the scrub ticks. These scrub ticks make the animals to experience cardiovascular abnormalities which eventually cause paralysis and death of the foxes (p.77). The Australian Government biodiversity database (2010) acknowledges that the spread of ticks amongst the colonies has been enhanced by the changes in diets of the animal. When the animal changes her diet to Wild Tobacco, the ticks get a strategic place to the animals and as they feed, the ticks attached themselves beneath their fur and get transported to their camps. This increases the spread of the parasites. Climatic changes have been cited as the causes of the shifting diet to Wild Tobacco thus contributing in the spread and death of the foxes (Microbiology of Australia 2005, p.77).

Competition for food

The Black Flying Fox and the Little Red Flying Fox cause great displacement to the Spectacled Flying Fox when they compete for nectar (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

Environmental Changes

Documented evidence reveal that increase in temperatures to a high of 45°C have resulted in the death of Flying Foxes species. In addition to the high temperatures, smokes from burnt habitats cause the animals to suffocate leading to their death (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010). Moreover, wet, windy and cold winter constitute unfavourable conditions for the existence of the animals’ natural food leading to their emancipation and eventually their death (Richard and Hall 2000, p.88).

Cyclones

Cyclones impact on the Spectacled Flying Foxe’s natural food when they cause fruits to fall from affected trees. Some cyclones, for instance, The Larry, cause mass movements and heavy damage to the since they are forced to migrate from their major Mabi Forest habitat (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

Human Initiated obstacles

The migration of these bats towards urban areas has led to them encountering man made features for instance, power lines, barbed wires and increased traffic. When flying haphazardly nearby, the birds get electrocuted or trapped causing their death (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010). Lyster and others (2007, p.165) approximate that 20% of the population of adult female spectacled flying foxes were being killed by an aerial electric grid erected to protect an orchard in close proximity to the World Heritage area.

The use of a thin, loose net entangles the flying fox causing them shock and stress. As a result, they break their wing membrane and create deep wounds. These wounds can lead to death if not cured. Likewise, the entangled flying foxes may be older mothers and their continued separation from their young ones can lead to starvation of their young ones (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

Physical impairments

Some flying foxes are born with natural defects, a phenomenon commonly referred to as the cleft palate syndrome. As such, most die when their mothers- as a result of experiencing difficulties in feeding such impaired young ones, give up and releases them.

Management Plan

Objectives

The main objective of developing this recovery plan is to protect extinction of Spectacled Flying Fox species and as a result protect the trees that form the rain forest canopy. The Bonnier Corporation magazine (1997, p.82) in highlighting the importance of these bats aver that, “these little pollinators are the biological glue that holds the ecosystem together.”

Other objectives include amongst others;

Provision of fleshy flowers on the vines of some tropical rain forests to increase the population of spectacled flying foxes since they will have abundant food to feed on

Inventing of non-lethal crop protection methods to reduce the bats’ deaths’ (of shock and stress) (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

Reversing laws that promote the extinction of the flying foxes for instance, terminating the “shoot to kill” law to protect on their population numbers (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

The conservation agency can initiate projects that facilitate the recovery and preservation of the animals’ natural habitats to maintain their mortality rates. For instance, they can fund the rehabilitation of the encroached Mabi forest to provide the natural habit for the spectacled flying foxes (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

Strategies to be implemented

Buying seedlings and planting flesh crops beneath the vines of the tropical trees. This provides abundant food for the spectacled flying foxes. Their increased population will be significant for pollinating trees as well as feeding on the harmful fruit flies (Bonnier Corporation Magazine 1997, p.82)

Adopting the use of white knitted mesh whose maximum mesh size reaches 40 mm to allow the foxes to spot and avoid them. This is useful the netting strategy should only be adopted with the main purpose of protecting crop destruction and not to kill the Spectacled Flying Foxes (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

The conservation agency can requesting for funds from orchard industries and relevant government ministries, for instance, The Ministries of Agriculture and Environmental Conservation to develop practical and cost effective and non-destructive methods for crop protection (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

Carrying out studies to determine the causes of the paralysis scrub tick and coming up with its control measures (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

The conserving agency should negotiate for conservation agreements for the regularly used colonies on private lands (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

The agency should also develop and implement population monitoring programs (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

The conserving agency should also feed and care for the injured adults, raise orphaned young as well as introduce weaning to them (Richards and Hall 2000, p.108-112).

Performance Criteria

The relevant bodies can carry out investigations on the status of occurrence of the tick paralysis within the Spectacled Flying Foxes and the associated relationship with the Wild Tobacco Plant (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010). If the occurrence is high, then the associated relationships must also be high meaning that the control measures in place may not be working accordingly.

The relevant bodies can investigate of the use of genetic fingerprinting to trace the movements of the bats. This can help the conservation agencies to know if their habits have been interfered with and review the control measures.

Using the microsatellite and amplified fragment length polymorphism genetic markers to identify the individual flying foxes killed by tick paralysis (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010). If many bats are identified, the relevant authorities should review the protection measures in place.

Micro-chipping all Spectacled Flying Foxes released back into their habitats. This provides feedback on the release programme carried out for the young and orphaned bats.

The authorities can adopt the use of satellite and radio-tracking collars on the bats with the aim of improving knowledge both on their movements and behaviours. In addition, this helps in understanding better the damage done by the species and the control measures to be effected (Australian Government’s Biodiversity database 2010).

In conclusion it should be noted that recovery plans constitute sensible conservation and management strategies and as such a lot a lot of attention should be emphasized at their creation. Markus (2009, p.31) points out that although tracking the plans recovery success remains a complicated issue due to the difficulties in identifying their real numbers, possible measures should be put in place to ensure the recovery plans are put to test to determine their viability.

References

Australian Government, Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, 2010, Biodiversity: Species profile and threats database, viewed 15th March 2010, <http://www.environment.gov.au/cgibin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=185>

Bonnier Corporation, 1997, Popular Science, Vol. 251, No. 5, Stockholm

Lyster, R et al. 2007, Environmental and Planning Law in New South Wales, Federation Press, Sydney.

Markus, N 2009, On our watch: the race to save Australia’s environment, Melbourne University, Melbourne.

Richards, G & Hall, LS 2000, Flying foxes: fruit and blossom bats of Australia, UNSW Press, Sydney.

The Australian Society for Microbiology, 2005, Microbiology Australia