WATCH: Bat Birth Captured On Camera

Wednesday, 24 May 2023 00:00

Jersey Zoo has captured on camera the birth of the world's rarest fruit bat.

The pup - who is still to be named - was born on 27 April to eight-year-old Nymeria.

It weighed no more than 70 grams and keepers say they are happy with the progress it is making.

The footage was recorded by keeper Dom Wormell along with student Ksenia Potapova whilst they were inspecting the mother.

“Witnessing a bat birth is an incredible experience and the fact that we caught this on camera is amazing. Bats often have a bad reputation, but they are extremely social and caring animals. Mothers form a remarkably close bond with their infant which is wonderful to watch."

Bat pups generally hang off to their mother until around 2.5 months when they start to fly. At the age of one they become more independent and start to feed for themselves.

The Livingstone’s fruit bat is critically endangered, with only around 1,300 remaining in the wild due to human destruction of their forest homes.

They come from the Comoro Islands found to the northwest of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean,

Last year Jersey Zoo had a record-breaking 16 healthy bat pups born into the colony, bolstering the safety net population in case of a disaster in the wild.

The zoo’s captive population makes up 90% of the global captive population.