Bat Conservation International to assess Monfort bat colony in Samal

A TEAM from Bat Conservation International based in Austin, Texas is visiting the Monfort bat colony this week to assess improvements undertaken by Norma I. Monfort of the Monfort Eco Tourism Estate in Samal island. Mylea Bayless, senior director of Network and Partnerships-Bat Conservation International, said in an interview that their trip is also intended to provide support for the “CPR Bats! Conserve Protect Respect Bats!” campaign of Ms. Monfort, who has been tagged as ‘Bat Mama.’ Ms. Bayless noted that their organization has been supporting Ms. Monfort in the past 12 years by providing information and education materials on conducting research at the bat sanctuary. The Monfort Bat Cave is a home to about 2.5 million Geoffroy’s rousette bats (Rousettus amplexicaudatus), a specie of Old World fruit bats or megabats. The site is one of Samal’s main tourist stops. “It is our mission to promote and conserve the bats and their habitats worldwide. We are here to visit and recognize Monfort for her work to protect the Guiness World record bat cave for Geoffrey’s Rousette bats,” Ms. Bayless said. — Maya M. Padillo