Mauritius has culled at least 20,000 flying foxes (Pteropus niger), the island's last surviving native species of fruit bat, in an attempt to reduce damage to lychee and mango crops. Ironically, this cull was justified on the basis of a law enacted in late 2015 to improve protection of the country's rich biodiversity.
Pteropus niger is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as threatened with extinction at the 'Vulnerable' level, and was protected under the previous law (F. B. V. Florens Science 336, 1102; 2012).
The 2015 law makes provision for a special technical committee that is tasked with advising the government on the necessity of culling a species in the “national interest”. But the decision to cull was announced in parliament before the new bill was enacted, and before the committee could be convened. The cull began within days of the law taking effect.
The biodiversity of Mauritius is among the most threatened worldwide. Consumers need to make an informed choice about supporting its fruit industry, which, in my view, shows disregard for the environment and international conventions.
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Florens, F. Mauritius culls threatened fruit bats. Nature 530, 33 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/530033a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/530033a
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