Do fruit bats deserve to be listed as vermin in the Indian Wildlife (Protection) & Amended Acts? A critical review

Abstract

Of the 13 species of fruit bats occurring in India, the Indian flying fox Pteropus giganteus, the dog-faced fruit bat Rousettus leschenaultii and the greater short-nosed fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx are distributed throughout the country. They usually live in trees (P. giganteus), temples and caves (R. leschenaultii) and foliage (C. sphinx) and feed on fruits such as fig Ficus spp., Singapore cherry Muntingia calabura, Indian almond Terminalia catappa, mango Mangifera indica, guava Psidium guajava as well as leaves, nectar and pollen. The other 10 species live at sea level and at altitudes of. 2,000 m and their distribution and foraging activities may be restricted mainly to forests. Two of them, the Nicobar flying fox Pteropus faunulus and Salim Ali's fruit bat Latidens salimalii are endemic. Although details of their foraging activity are poorly known, there is no evidence that they visit commercial fruit orchards. They feed on wild fruits and disperse seeds widely, contributing to forest regeneration. Although P. giganteus, R. leschenaultii and C. sphinx feed on commercial fruits, their role in pollination and seed dispersal of economically important plants such as kapok Ceiba pentandra, mahua Bassia latifolia and petai Parkia spp. is important. Sacrificial crops such as M. calabura can be used at orchards to reduce the damage bats cause to commercial fruit. Because the ecological services provided by bats are not appreciated by the public and conservation planners, all fruit bat species with one exception are still categorized as vermin and included as such in Schedule V of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and amended Acts. It is now appropriate for the Government of India to revisit this issue and consider removing these pollinators and seed dispersers from the list of vermin in the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

How Do Fruit Bat Seed Shadows Benefit Agroforestry? Insights from Local Perceptions in Kerala, India

“…Owing to the general lack of awareness about their role in agricultural systems, fruit bats continue to be officially enlisted as ‘vermin’ (Schedule V) in India's Wildlife (Protection) Act (MoEF ) and its amendments (Singaravelan et al . ).…”

“…For instance, in the Indian context, fruit bat conservation is an issue of concern due to the prevalent misconceptions among citizens and policy makers that bats are serious pests of fruit orchards. Owing to the general lack of awareness about their role in agricultural systems, fruit bats continue to be officially enlisted as 'vermin' (Schedule V) in India's Wildlife (Protection) Act (MoEF 1972) and its amendments (Singaravelan et al 2009).…”

The Conflict Between Pteropodid Bats and Fruit Growers: Species, Legislation and Mitigation

“…However, only three of the thirteen species-P. giganteus, R. leschenaultii and C. sphinx-feed extensively on commercial fruit, and the remaining ten species forage mainly in forest where they play an important role in pollination and seed dispersal, and there is no evidence that they visit commercial orchards. The Indian government has ignored successive attempts by conservationists to have forest bats delisted (Singaravelan et al 2009). …”

Rousettus madagascariensis (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) shows a preference for native and commercially unimportant fruits

“…Recently, Singaravelan et al (2009) called for the majority of fruit bats in India to be removed from national vermin lists because they are forest dwell ers and there is no evidence that they feed on commercially important fruits. Although the fruit bats of Madagascar do feed on such fruits, the present study provides evidence that their preferences lie elsewhere.…”