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The destruction and conservation of the Egyptian Fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus in Cyprus: a historic review

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Abstract

In Cyprus, there are 16 species of bats most of which are threatened with extinction. With the exception of the megachiropteran Egyptian Fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus that feeds on fruit, the rest of them are insectivorous microchiropterans. The Fruit bat was declared as a pest by the Department of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment of Cyprus since the early 1900s. To reduce the number of this “pest”, the above-mentioned Department, since 1927, used fumigation, shooting, and the purchase of dead bats. Fumigating and closing caves not only destroyed Fruit bats by direct poisoning, but the entire cave ecosystems, including highly beneficial and protected insectivorous species. The first attempt to protect bats on the island was in 1988 with law No. 24 of 1988, ratifying the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, 82/72/EEC. This convention protects all microchiroptera species except Pipistrellus pipistrellus that is strictly protected. R. aegyptiacus is rare, with small populations that are not at present endangered or vulnerable but at risk. Cyprus recently became a member state of the European Union. This provided the opportunity to include R. aegyptiacus in the Annexes II and IV of the council directive 92/42/EEC of May 21, 1993 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, which will guarantee the long-range protection and survival of this species.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. J. Zincas, Dr Peter Heise-Pavlov, Dr. Uwe Kierdorf, and Dr. Jorge A. Encarnação for critically reviewing this manuscript, P. Koursaros and G. Xystouris for some help in locating caves. In addition, I would like to thank the Game Wardens of Paphos District who voluntarily followed me in caves, ancient tombs, and cellars, by climbing, crawling, or swimming, and the Director of the Game and Fauna Service C. Papamichael for his support.

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  1. Ministry of the Interior, Nicosia, 1453, Cyprus

    Eleftherios Hadjisterkotis

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  1. Eleftherios Hadjisterkotis
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Correspondence to Eleftherios Hadjisterkotis.

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Hadjisterkotis, E. The destruction and conservation of the Egyptian Fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus in Cyprus: a historic review. Eur J Wildl Res 52, 282–287 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-006-0041-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-006-0041-7

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