Philippines/Samal: Monfort Bat Sanctuary
The main reason to get to the Samal Islamd was to visit the Monfort Bat Sanctuary. The cave with bats is listed in the Guinness World Record Book as the largest concentration of bats of the same species – over 2.4 million individuals of the Geoffroy’s Rousette fruit bats. The cave itself is only about 245 ft (75 m)-long with five distinct openings or skylights and the bats cover 75% of the ceilings and walls of the cave – they are literally plastered everywhere! Bats live in certain clusters in the cave – families of bats, youngsters in a kindergarten, male bachelors (easily identifiable by their male features), and old bats. The Geoffroy’s Rousette fruit bats have distinctive fox-like faces. They are flying out at dusk and are active at night, while they all hang out in the caves during the daytime. The fruit bats are the main pollinators of the durian fruits and Davao is considered the capital of the durian production in Philippines and beyond. During their nocturnal flights, fruit bats gather 1.5 to 3 times their body weight in food – nectar and fruits. The sight is absolutely incredible – you are alone with millions of bats only a hand length away.
