The trade in Pacific fruit bats
Payne N. 1986. The trade in Pacific fruit bats. Traffic Bulletin. 8(2):25-27
Fruit bats of the genus Pteropus are eaten in several locations throughout their geographic range but particularly on the islands of Micronesia and Polynesia in the Pacific. In the Mariana Islands of the north-west Pacific fruit bats are considered a special delicacy served at social occasions. They are cooked and eaten whole (including the fur and viscera). Hunting and the consequent trade in the animals has had a significantly detrimental effect on populations in the Mariana Islands since the end of World War II. Consumption of bats on a commercial scale is at present restricted to Guam, the southernmost island of the Marianas and an outlying Territory of the USA with a human population in excess of 100,000.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Payne, Nicholas
- Units
- PACN , WAPA
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, fruit bat (Pteropus), Guam, Mammals, Pteropus tokudae, Threatened-Endangered-Sensitive Animals