Flying foxes have a distribution that stretches from Australia and the Pacific across south-east Asia to the western Indian Ocean. No flying foxes are found on mainland Africa, although two species are recorded within the territory of Tanzania on offshore islands. One of these is the Pemba flying fox Pteropus voeltzkowi, which is endemic to the island of Pemba - 40 km offshore, adjacent to the island of Zanzibar.
First described in 1909, this species is distinctive for its bright chestnut-orange fur, and weighs in at around half a kilo. As with most fruit bats, it feeds mainly on fruit, but may also consume nectar, pollen and leaves.
The Pemba flying fox has traditionally been hunted by Pembaris as a source of food, originally using simple traps on long sticks, and more recently with shotguns. Reports in the early 1990s indicated that the species was at risk of extinction as a result of hunting and habitat loss, and consequently the species was listed as Critically Endangered.
A programme of conservation measures for the species was initiated in 1995. Since then, with funding from the Lubee Foundation and the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund, Fauna & Flora International has supported the Forestry Department on Pemba to undertake a range of conservation activities. These have included an extensive education campaign, establishment of environmental clubs to protect roosts close to villages, meetings with hunters and key decision makers, and ongoing monitoring of the bat population.
As a result, the hunting of bats with shotguns has been banned across most of the island, eight key roosts receive direct protection, and the population count of flying foxes has increased from 4,600 to 9,000. Whilst IUCN - the World Conservation Union is currently considering down-listing the threat status of the species, ongoing protection by the local community remains the key to the long-term survival of this species.
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