Indian Flying Fox

Indian flying foxes are large bats, probably the largest in the world.  They are also known by the other name of the Fruit bats.  As the name suggests they survive on fruits, plants and insects sometimes.  The bats are nocturnal i.e. they stay awake at night and relish fruits on the trees.  They live in colonies i.e. large groups and stay dormant during the day.  Bats are mammals, that is, they give birth to their young ones, which are called 'pups'.  

These bats visit us daily to eat the fruits of the Kadamba tree and Borsali tree.  One can hear the busy cacophony of these bats in the wee hours.  Right after the Sun set you can see them hovering around these trees.  Sometimes they fly so low and over your head that you can hear their wings flapping.

One of the most misunderstood and hated creature as they are nocturnal and are mythically connected to the world of black magic are hunted down and culled in large numbers making them on the verge of extinction across the globe.  There are so many myths around these innocent creatures which makes them extremely vulnerable to retribution from humankind.

To save these beautiful, innocent creatures who are the only flying mammals, we should plant more trees which provide them with their natural food.  The photographs and the videos are taken in our own garden where they live in a large colony.







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