The plight of large fruit bats on paleotropical islands was flagged over half a century ago. Despite this, species of Pteropus, Acerodon, and related genera of Large Old World Fruit Bats (herein, LOWFB) remain among the most endangered bat groups globally. Naturally, Tigga stepped up collaborating with esteemed bat scientists F.B. Vincent Florens and Christian E. Vincenot to explore this pressing issue. They utilized the IUCN Red List assessments and information from the literature to uncover why these bats are in trouble. No surprise here – habitat loss, hunting, climate change, and persecution (Let’s dub them the BIG FOUR) pose significant threats to the LOWFB. These poor bats are built differently, with biological and ecological attributes that make them even more vulnerable to these threats, accelerating their population decline.

So why should we care? Well, because they’re keystone species! Losing these skypuppies could set off a domino effect throughout native ecosystems. Check out the publication to discover more about the proposed conservation strategies aimed at halting the decline of these critical bats, especially in island habitats.