Bat colonies in Bohol caves raided, harvested for delicacy

SIERRA-BULLONES, BOHOL, Philippines – Reports received by the DENR-Bohol office said that some unidentified persons from Cebu have literally raided colonies in this town and harvested bats for delicacy.

According to Nestor Canda, OIC of the provincial environment and natural resources office here, told The Freeman his office is still verifying the report, but the DENR-7 has confirmed that if ever there is harvesting of bats here, then this has no permit.

The harvest of this nocturnal mammal has reportedly been a brisk delicacy business like the bird’s nest trade for expensive soup in restaurants.

The Freeman has tried but failed to contact Mayor Fredo Gamalo about this matter.

There were also reports that some fragile caves in Mabini and Candijay and other towns in Bohol where bat colonies are, have been mined of their guano deposits, also for lucrative business in fertilizer making.

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera from the Greek word, cheir, “hand” and pteron, “wing” whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight.

According to Wikipedia, bats are important in eating insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides, and are instrumental in pollination.

In the Philippines, there are more than 70 bat species out of more than a 1,000 in the world. They are locally known as “kwaknit” or “kabog,” some of which feed on fruits, like those in northern Mindanao that have lanzones are their favorite food.

Meanwhile, bat conservationist Norma Monfort, owner of the bat conservation organization in Davao, particularly in Samal island where the bat conservation is being pursued, called for a boycott of the movie “Expendables 2” produced by Hollywood actor-director Sylvester Stallone.

The report said that “Expendables 2” producers were fined by authorities in Bulgaria, a country in Europe where the movie was shot, for the destruction of bat habitat in Devetashka, which is home to 15 species of bats. - THE FREEMAN