Rota poachers attack fruit bat colony

Rota poachers attack fruit bat colony

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

The Division of Fish and Wildlife has discovered another incident of illegal hunting at another Mariana fruit bat maternity colony on Rota.

In a statement issued yesterday, the division said the poaching incident was discovered during the course of routine bird surveys on the morning of Dec. 24, 2009.

“[About] 25 to 50 fruit bats were witnessed flying overhead. Fruit bats are generally only active at night unless disturbed. Division of Fish and Wildlife biologists conducted a survey of a nearby roost site and found fresh footprints, shotgun shells, and a fresh fruit bat carcass riddled with shotgun pellets, but no live fruit bats remained,” DFW said.

At least 222 adults and 26 juvenile fruit bats were known to inhabit this roost before the poaching incident.

This is the sixth poaching event at a fruit bat colony on Rota in the last year and a half; the previous events occurred in June, October, and November of 2008 and October of 2009.

Maternity colonies are where fruit bats gather for breeding and infant-rearing.

“Hunting at colonies kills many fruit bats at once and severely inhibits the ability of the fruit bat population to recover,” DFW said. “However, research has shown that if the fruit bat population is not hunted, it can begin to recover. Rota has the last viable population of fruit bats in the southern Marianas. The recovery of the species in this region is dependent on recovery and persistence of the population on Rota.”

There has been a moratorium on hunting in the CNMI since the 1990s and in 2005 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Mariana fruit bats in the CNMI as threatened due to an alarming decline in the fruit bat population.

“The only hope for the recovery of the fruit bat population in the CNMI is for the people to become involved and support the ban on hunting. There is still hope for the recovery of the fruit bat if the people of the CNMI work together to stop illegal hunting and trade of fruit bats in the Marianas,” DFW said.

The Mariana fruit bat-a medium-sized bat found only in Guam and the CNMI-is known as “fanihi” in Chamorro.

Currently, fewer than 100 individual Mariana fruit bats remain on Guam and a fluctuating population of 1,100 remains on Rota. In the northern islands (all islands north of Farallon de Medinilla) fewer than 5,000 individuals remain. On Saipan and Tinian, few individuals are known to inhabit or visit these islands.

(DFW)

Agencies outline concerns with EIS

Agencies outline concerns with EIS

By Bernice Santiago • Pacific Sunday News • December 13, 2009

The public can work with Government of Guam agencies to review the draft Environmental Impact statement for the military buildup, before the comment period ends on Feb. 17.

The comment period is critical, said Vangie Lujan, administrator for the Guam Coastal Management Program, under the Bureau of Statistics and Plans. When residents submit written comments about their concerns, the Department of Defense is required by law to address them, she said.

Residents are welcome to visit the Guam Coastal Management Program office, on the third floor of the GCIC building, where a print version of the draft EIS is available to the public. GCMP staff can further explain the document itself, and help residents review the key issues that they're concerned with, whether it's road construction or the impact to the coral reefs, Lujan said.

Different local agencies introduced their roles and areas of jurisdiction in reviewing the draft EIS yesterday, during a Natural Resources Expo held at the Guam Premier Outlets. The expo was held by the Natural Resources Subcommittee of the Governor's Civilian Military Task Force, according to a release from the Bureau of Statistics and Plans.

Dave Burdick, biologist from the Guam Coastal Management Program office, discussed the proposed Nuclear Aircraft Carrier deep-draft wharf and turning basin project. The project will affect coral reef in Apra Harbor, and the agency will be looking into both the direct and indirect impacts of the proposed dredging activities.
The office also will review the impact of population growth on Guam's natural resources, Burdick said. The island's population will grow by 79,000 people in 2015, before that number decreases to 33,600 people by 2020. An increase in harvesting and recreational use of natural resources likely will occur, Burdick said.

The office also will study the mitigation efforts proposed by the Department of Defense to replace lost ecosystem function, which is required under the federal Clean Water Act.

Biologist Jeffrey Quitugua said the Department of Agriculture's Division of Aquatics and Wildlife Resources will be looking into land habitat issues for species that DAWR hope to recover or bring back to Guam, such as the kingfisher, the Guam rail, and the Marianas fruit bat, as part of their review of the draft EIS.

The Guam Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing the draft EIS while regulating growing activity from the private sector, as the private sector prepares for the buildup, said Jesse Cruz, environmental monitoring and analytical services administrator. Cruz's section will be reviewing the dredging deep-draft wharf, the terrestrial clearing for construction projects, and other natural resource issues, he said yesterday.

Lujan said another expo will be held in January, where agencies will present a more detailed analysis of the draft EIS to the public, along with their recommendations.
The aim of such outreach events is to develop a dialogue with the public, so that the concerns and comments of local government planners, scientists, and the general public inform each other, Burdick said.

Mariana fruit bats threatened with extinction

Mariana fruit bats threatened with extinction

Saturday, October 10, 2009

The United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands and the CNMI Department of Land and Natural Resources announced today that poaching on Rota is threatening the Mariana fruit bat with extinction.

The Mariana fruit bat (or the fanihi, as it is known locally) has been part of the Chamorro culture for centuries. When the bats were hunted by traditional means, their population was stable. With the advent of firearms, however, their numbers have declined drastically. The Guam and CNMI fanihi are listed as an threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species Act. It is a violation of federal, Guam and CNMI law to kill them.

Mariana fruit bats roost in maternal colonies, made up mostly of females and their pups, as well as a few juvenile and breeding males. Adult male bats roost in small bachelor colonies or individually. There are only about 100 fruit bats left on Guam. Until this year, there were approximately 1,700 on Rota, in five maternal colonies. Since 2008, a small gang of poachers has been attacking the maternal colonies, slaughtering females and their babies. If this continues, the Rota fanihi will soon be extinct, and a symbol of Chamorro life will be gone forever.

In June 2008, half of the Fanlagon maternal colony was destroyed by individuals using 12-gauge and .410 shotguns. It is estimated that 45 females and juveniles were killed. In June 2008, the Liyo colony was also attacked. This has resulted in the bats changing their flight path to and from the colony site. They now fly far out over the ocean, often in heavy winds, expending energy that should go to sustain their young. Mothers return less often to feed their pups during the night, or fail to return at all, resulting in the neglect and abandonment of the babies.

In October 2008, the As Dudo maternal population was destroyed by poachers using 12-gauge and .410 shotguns. According to CNMI wildlife biologists, some 65 fanihi, about 90 percent of the colony, were killed.

In November 2008, the Sumac maternal colony was attacked, and 70 percent of the females and juveniles were slaughtered, again with .410 and 12-gauge shotguns.

Only four days ago, on Oct. 5, 2009, the Lempanai colony was attacked and approximately 30 females and juveniles were killed.

A species cannot survive if its breeding grounds, its breeding females, and its young, are killed. In the last 14 months, half of the fanihi population on Rota has been destroyed. If the people of Rota want their children and their children's children to know and appreciate these gentle animals, they need to help stop this slaughter.

If you have any information about the identities of these poachers, please call (670) 236-2980, (670) 233-0938, CNMI Crime Stoppers (670) 234-7272, or Guam Crime Stoppers (671) 477-4357. (PR)