Age Determination in the Grey-Headed Flying Fox

Divljan, Anja; Parry-Jones, Kerryn; Wardle, Glenda M.

doi:10.2193/0022-541x(2006)70[607:aditgf]2.0.co;2

Cited by 24 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Tooth cementum layers provide an accurate representation of the age of captive Australian flying foxes (Cool et al 1994), a conclusion supported by Divljan et al (2006) who tested the method on known-aged captive and wild grey-headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus).…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Demographic indications of decline in the spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) on the Atherton Tablelands of northern Queensland

et al. 2008

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A lack of information about the spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) makes management and conservation of this vulnerable species difficult. The analysis of population dynamics using life-history traits and life tables is widely used in planning for the conservation and management of wildlife. In the present study, the first life table for any species of bat is provided and age estimates derived from counts of annual increments in tooth cementum rings are used to assess population trends and life-history traits in the spectacled flying fox on the Atherton Tablelands in north Queensland. As a result of high mortality, longevity was much shorter than expected from a theoretical basis. Life-table analyses suggest that the population experienced a 16% decrease during the 2 years of study. Absence of extended longevity to compensate for low reproductive output and delayed sexual maturity in 'slow end' mammal species such as P. conspicillatus reduces the window of opportunity for females to reproduce and adapt to changes in mortality rates. This study suggests that spectacled flying fox populations are sensitive to increased mortality and that reducing mortality rates should be the primary goal in conservation planning for P. conspicillatus.

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Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Demographic indications of decline in the spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) on the Atherton Tablelands of northern Queensland

et al. 2008

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“…The sex, body mass (g) and forearm length (mm) of each individual were recorded, and the left mandibular 1 st premolar was extracted from sub-adults and adults for ageing purposes (Divljan et al 2006).…”

Section: Data Recording and The Assessment Of Dead Individualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The flying-foxes that suffered mortality as a result of shooting during the course of this study had an age structure that indicated a relatively young population, considering the reported longevity of the species (Divljan et al 2006). However the same pattern was observed in age distributions of both dead individuals collected between [1999][2000][2001][2002][2003][2004][2005][2006][2007] in Sydney and a live camp study in the Sydney Basin (Divljan 2008), indicating that this age structure is the typical one found in Sydney's P. poliocephalus.…”

Section: Description Of the Animals Involvedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deaths and injuries to Grey-headed Flying-foxes,Pteropus poliocephalusshot at an orchard near Sydney, New South Wales

Divljan

Parry-Jones

Eby³

2011

Australian Zoologist

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For several years, animal welfare concerns have been raised over the practice of shooting Greyheaded Flying-foxes (GHFF) in commercial fruit orchards in Australia, and the role of government agencies in licensing the kill. In NSW the practice is poorly monitored and insufficient evidence has been available to assess welfare concerns. This study reports the first systematically acquired data on flying-foxes shot under licence in NSW. In the 2006/07 season the average number of GHFFs licensed to be harmed was <40 individuals per licence. Despite this, a total of 164 dead or injured flying-foxes were collected (n = 146) or observed (n = 18) from an orchard in western Sydney over two weeks in spring 2007, after shooting had occurred at the orchard to protect fruit crops. Detailed information, including sex, reproductive state, age and description of injuries, was compiled on 136 collected bats. The sex ratio was strongly skewed towards females (1:1•73), of which 54 (65%) were lactating at the time. Thirteen of these were shot while carrying their dependent young, while 41 neonates would have been left behind in the camp to die. Hence, the total estimate of flying-foxes that died due to shooting in the orchard over the two-week period was 205. Collected bats suffered from various injuries, and at least 30% (44% including the neonates left in the camp) were alive and unattended more than 8.5 hours after shooting. This is in contravention of the definition of 'humane killing' and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979. Importantly, the GHFF is vulnerable under NSW and Federal legislations and the killing of reproducing females in crops contributes to its declining numbers, making Sydney Basin an ecological trap for this species.

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“…This is especially true since human hunters target adult individuals that may have already gained immunity to the pathogen (Mickleburgh 2002), leaving niche space for susceptible juveniles (Streicker et al 2012). In addition, hunting appears to be linked to spillover events: there is evidence of intensive hunting of relevant bat populations in the regions of zoonotic emergence for Hendra virus (Divljan 2006), Nipah virus (Epstein et al 2009), SARS-CoV (Mickleburgh et al 2009), and Ebola virus ). Ebola outbreaks have been directly linked to contact with bushmeat, with cases arising from handling of primate carcasses (Formenty et al 1999;Leroy et al 2004), as well as, potentially, hunting and consumption of fruit bats ).…”

Section: Anthropogenic Pressures and Pathogen Spillovermentioning

confidence: 99%

African Bats: Conservation in the time of Ebola

Guyton¹,

Brook²

2015

Therya

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Introduction:Bats are among the most poorly studied mammals, despite their diversity and important ecological services. The ongoing Ebola epidemic in western Africa underscores the increasingly recognized role of bats as reservoirs for emerging human diseases. An understanding of the mechanisms supporting pathogen maintenance in bat hosts is essential to informing future public health measures, as well as conservation efforts for wild bat populations. This is crucial in Africa, where the human population is burgeoning, increasing habitat loss and human contact with wildlife.The importance of natural history. The natural history and ecology of bats, especially in Africa, is poorly understood, making responsible management decisions difficult. Metrics for guiding management of pathogens and their host populations, such as critical community size and minimum viable population size, often require more natural history knowledge than we currently have available. We argue that management action without adequate research can lead to counterproductive results. In the past, fear-based management responses such as culling campaigns have counterintuitively increased the prevalence of pathogens in the target host population, as has been observed in the vampire bat-rabies system and the Egyptian fruit bat-Marburg system.Bat conservation in the time of Ebola. Many of the same anthropogenic stressors that are threatening bat populations, such as habitat loss and hunting, are also likely drivers of zoonotic pathogen emergence. Given this, and given that reducing bat populations can increase rather than decrease pathogen prevalence, we argue that conservation measures for bats should be strengthened in this time of Ebola. We offer a few potential first steps. Conclusions and Future Directions:We advocate the precautionary principle, and encourage significant and urgent increases in natural history studies, education, and conservation measures for African bats.

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Age Determination in the Grey-Headed Flying Fox

Cited by 24 publications

References 18 publications

Demographic indications of decline in the spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) on the Atherton Tablelands of northern Queensland

Demographic indications of decline in the spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) on the Atherton Tablelands of northern Queensland

Deaths and injuries to Grey-headed Flying-foxes,Pteropus poliocephalusshot at an orchard near Sydney, New South Wales

African Bats: Conservation in the time of Ebola

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