Bats are among the most misunderstood animals on the planet. Because they are active at night, we don't often see the many points of contact between bats and humans, but it turns out that bats are essential elements of our daily lives!

Small insectivorous bats (more than 1 different species around the world) eat billions of insects every night: they are the best way to combat natural parasites, catching mosquitoes and moths that harm humans and destroy crops. The guano produced by bats is rich in nutrients and used to fertilize soils around the world. Large fruit and nectar-eating bats pollinate fruit trees by moving from flower to flower and disperse seeds across the landscape by flying. The seeds can give rise to new fruit or forest trees, and bats thus maintain a healthy ecosystem.

There are ten species of bats in the Comoros, eight of which are found in Anjouan: five small insectivorous bats and three fruit bats. Among the fruit bats, the Seychelles fruit bat (Pteropus seychellensis) is easily spotted on the island, as it likes to roost in large groups near fruit trees. The Comoros fruit bat (Rousettus obliviosus), much smaller and gray-brown in color, lives in caves and only comes out at night to feed on nectar. The most emblematic bat of the Comoros archipelago must be the third species of fruit bat: the Livingstone fruit bat (Pteropus livingstonii). This large dark bat is only present on Anjouan and Mohéli, where it roosts in small groups in the mountains. It is very threatened, because the species is losing its natural habitat: the Comorian cloud forests.

Since 2012, we have been working on the protection of the population of the Livingstone flying fox of Anjouan.  Per year, two bat counts are carried out to monitor the evolution of the population and have put in place conservation agreements with landowners who have bat roosts on their fields. These roosts are large, old trees that the owners have agreed not to cut down so that the bats will have a place to stay in the future. Since 2018, in collaboration with theUniversity of Comoros et Bat Conservation International, we follow individual fruit bats with GPS collars to understand how these animals use the landscape: where are the important trees for food and roosts for bats? And how do these bats contribute to a healthy landscape?

This research is necessary to enable communities to protect and regenerate bat resources and ensure that this Comorian treasure is preserved for future generations.

Learn more about fruit bat monitoring initiatives !