3 Endangered Rodrigues Fruit Bat Babies Born at Oregon Zoo: 'Each New Arrival Is Significant'

Photo: Oregon Zoo

Three endangered bat babies are now calling the Oregon Zoo home.

On Thursday, the West Coast facilityannounced in a statementthat a group of Rodrigues flying foxes — also known as Rodrigues fruit bats — were recently born at the zoo.

According to the zoo, the endangered species is native only to Rodrigues, which is a tiny island in the Indian Ocean about 900 miles east of Madagascar. There, the animal “plays an important ecological role on the island.”

Today, zoo officials say the animal’s population has increased to around 20,000, due to more than four decades of conservation efforts.

Keepers at the zoo said that the new arrivals are not only “adorable,” but are also proof that humans can have both positive and negative effects on wildlife conservation.

“Each new arrival is significant for this species,” said Amy Cutting, who oversees the zoo’s bat area. “Forty years ago, Rodrigues flying foxes were at the very brink of extinction. The fact that they’re still around shows how people can make a difference for wildlife.”

The Oregon Zoo began housing “Rods” — the name the animal is given in zoological circles, per the zoo — in 1994. The facility has raised over 50 “Rods” since then and has sent some of the animals on to other zoos as well.

“Keeping a healthy insurance population in zoos is especially important for this species,” Cutting said. “With so few left and such a limited geographic range, a severe weather event on their island could essentially wipe them out.”

source: people.com