Boracay Flying Foxes

Watching the flying foxes wing south at twilight is a popular  attraction on Boracay White Beach. Large numbers of these giant  bats, spread accross the horizon and sometimes directly to the White Beach, fly to nearby Panay Island every evening where they feed on fruits. The Golden-Crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus), weighing up to 1.2 kilograms, is the largest bat in the world. It is highly enfangered, as is the Giant Flying Fox (Pteropus vampyrus). During the day, they hang upside-down in trees in Northern Boracay (Barangay Yapak), their only remaining roosting place in the last patches of forest on the island, and one of thier last roosting places in the Philippines.

Boracay has consequently assumed great importance for their survival in the country. The bats unfortunately are eaten as delicacy by some and are target of local hunters. They are also disturbed while roosting with noise and thrown rocks by some visitors who simply want to see them fly.

To protect this impressive but endangeres bats, the Philippine Endemic Species Conservation Project (PESCP) initiated two projects: the Boracay Flying Foxes Observation Tower and the Boracay Bat Information and Education Center. Information about the bats is available at the Center, which also undertakes educational activities, research and monitors the bat population.