bats – Rimba

Publication update 25: Bane or Blessing? Reviewing Cultural Values of Bats across the Asia-Pacific Region

Our inaugural publication from Phase 2 of Project Pteropus has been published by the Society of Ethnobiology! Led by Mary-Ruth as first author and Sheema as senior author, this literature review was a regional collaboration involving 13 co-authors from 9 countries across the Asia-Pacific, including Malaysia (Peninsular and Sarawak), China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Samoa. It’s fully open-access, which means you can both read it online or download the PDF, completely for free: https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-ethnobiology/volume-41/issue-1/0278-0771-41.1.18/Bane-or-Blessing-Reviewing-Cultural-Values-of-Bats-across-the/10.2993/0278-0771-41.1.18.full

April 5, 2021September 7, 2021 by Rimba Categories: Home, Project Updates, PublicationsTags: Asia-Pacific, bat conservation, bats, BFM 89.9, cultural symbolism, Cyren Wong Zhi Hoong, flying fox, Mary-Ruth Low, Project Pteropus, Sheema Abdul Aziz

Bat Week 2020: Pollinating Bats of Peninsular Malaysia

Did you know that Peninsular Malaysia is home to at least 6 different bat species that are known to pollinate flowers???

A lot of people think of bats as using echolocation instead of eyesight to catch insect prey for food. However, in Malaysia we have fruit bats (Family Pteropodidae), who don’t echolocate but are equipped with large eyes and a keen sense of smell to home in on yummy fruits and nectar.

Many of our tropical plants such as durian (Durio zibethinus), petai (Parkia speciosa), wild bananas (Musa spp.), perepat (Sonneratia alba) and berembang (Sonneratia caseolaris) actually depend on fruit/nectar bats for successful pollination and fruit production!

Artistic impressions by Vietnamese artist Dao Van Hoang

Facebook: @dao.v.hoang.3
Instagram: @vanhoang_dao
Twitter: @daovanhoang

This poster will also be included in our GIVEAWAY. If you’re in Malaysia and you’ve remembered to follow us on social media, sharing this post with the correct 3 hashtags + tagging 3 friends gains you another entry!

October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 by Rimba Categories: Home, Project UpdatesTags: bat conservation, Bat Week 2020, bats, Cave Nectar Bat, Common Rousette, Eonycteris spelaea, flying fox, fruit bat, Hill Long-tongued Fruit Bat, Island Flying Fox, Large Flying Fox, Lesser Long-tongued Fruit Bat, Macroglossus minimus, Macroglossus sobrinus, nectar bat, Peninsular Malaysia, pollination, pollinators, Project Pteropus, Pteropodidae, Pteropus hypomelanus, Pteropus vampyrus, Rousettus amplexicaudatus, tropical ecology

Bat Week 2020: Support a Bat-Friendly Durian Farm

Support a bat-friendly durian farm near you – or even further away! Part of our work in Project Pteropus involves partnering with durian farmers to conduct research and education on the importance of bat pollination for durian trees. We’re working closely with farmers to highlight the economic value of bat pollination services for the durian industry.

Check out our partner durian farms – Green Acres, Durian Kaki, Terra Tropika Agriculture, Zhong Cheng Durian Farm, Mizi Agro Farm and Karak Organic Durian Farm – who have been so receptive and supportive of our work. Special mention to Bilut Hills Farmstay for being so welcoming to us too! Look out for them during the next durian season and be sure to pay these bat-friendly farms a visit for your top-grade durian fix! And don’t forget to follow Lindsay Gasik’s Year Of The Durian for all your durian intel!

Facebook: @Greenacresorchard @duriankakipenang @terratropikaagriculture @ZhongChengDurianFarm @miziagrofarm @KarakOrganicDurianFarm @Biluthillsfarmstay @YearOfTheDurian

Instagram: @greenacresorchard @durian_kaki_penang @terratropikaagriculture @miziagrofarm @biluthills.farmstay @durianwriter

Artwork by Rohan Chakravarty of Green Humour.

Facebook: @GreenHumour
Instagram: @green_humour
Twitter: @green_humour & @thetoonguy

And remember, if you’re in Malaysia and have followed us on social media: sharing this post with the correct 3 hashtags + tagging 3 friends is another entry into our GIVEAWAY!

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 by Rimba Categories: Home, Project UpdatesTags: ASEAN, bat conservation, Bat Week 2020, Bat-friendly farm, bats, durian, durian farm, durian tourism, farmstay, fruit bat, Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia, Project Pteropus, Southeast Asia