Pemba Flying Fox Forest

All about the trip

Pemba’s only endemic mammal is a large and critically endangered bat (Pteropus voeltzkowi) called “popo” in Swahili. They spend their days in trees rather than caves and the island’s biggest roosting site, home to some 4000 bats, is at Kidike Sanctuary about 10 km northeast of Chake Chake. There’s a large population here due to the proximity of a local burial site, which meant the colony was undisturbed. Outside peak season, ring ahead to check that someone is there. Kidike is 3,5 km off the Chake–Wete road.

The Pemba flying fox is a large fruit bat weighing 400 – 650 g.

Its diet consists of the fruit and flowers of a number of plants. Primary and secondary forests, graveyards, and mangroves provide roosting sites. The Pemba flying fox is very social and has been found in large colonies until recently. The Pemba flying fox is found only on Pemba Island, Tanzania. The island was originally forested, but only remnants of the primary forest remain. Estimates of the status of the Pemba flying fox have varied considerably recently.

Studies in 1989 suggested a dramatic population decline, with fewer than 10 individuals being seen, and the species was considered to be on the brink of extinction. However, in 1992, surveys indicated a population in the region of 2 400 – 3 600, although it was estimated that the population may have declined significantly in the preceding decade. The Pemba flying fox does not appear near human settlements unless large trees are fruiting. The Pemba flying fox is the only bat species endemic to an African country. Flying foxes are so-called because of their foxlike faces. They cannot use echolocation. Instead, they navigate using vision and normal hearing.