Golden-Capped Fruit Bat

     The golden-capped fruit bat is technically protected under the Philippines Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act (WIPO) and it has also been in Appendix I of CITES since 1995 (Mildenstein, T. & Paguntalan, L., 2016). CITES addresses the issue of pet trade, and since this species is on it, trading of it is rarely allowed (How CITES works, 2017). The Philippine Wildlife Act is an act that provides conservation and protection for wildlife, resources, and their habitats, as well as appropriating funds. WIPO’s objectives are to conserve species and their habitat, regulate pet trade, and support scientific studies on species conservation (Philippines Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, 2001). These mean well, but are not doing enough to save the species because of the lack of enforcement and punishment.

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     Subic Bay is an area in the Philippines that is doing a lot of research on the species. It is a 14,000 acre area that is protected and managed by people who care about the golden-capped fruit bat. Subic Bay also has an ecology center that works to conserve natural resources (Giant Golden-crowned Flying Fox., 2012). The government needs to designate more areas like these for protection and research.

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