Monfort Bat Cave

visiting Samal Island

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duyan

I had to bolt out of the house around 7am for this.  The body’s natural caffeine kicked in as I, wide eyed from suddenly jumping out of bed and into the taxi, frantically told, in high pitch voice,  the driver where to go.  Omitting breakfast –which my mother finds unforgivable— assured my arrival on time.  But I missed the boat because my companions got stuck in traffic.  I was quietly sulking, dreaming of the watermelon shake and pancakes I had to skip.  This is karma.  But the waiting is not that bad, nothing brewed coffee can’t fix–and the island, as always, is beautiful. Continue reading →

Monfort Bat Cave

13thWiTCH 22 Comments

Monfort Conservation Park is a 24-hectare property located in the Garden Island of Samal. It is the Guiness title holder of Largest Fruit Bat Colony in the world, Monfort Bat Cave is home to more than 1.8 million Geoffry’s  Rousette Fruit Bats.

These bats are also the reason for Davao City’s abundance in durian.  They are, in fact, the major reason why rainforests exist—70% of trees in a forest exist because of bat pollination activities; they eat fruits and insects and distribute seeds in the process.  A bat can eat as much as its own body weight of insects and pests every night, thus loss of bats will certainly effect an increase of pests in the world. Continue reading →