Conserving fruit bats

There are over 170 species of fruit bats distributed as a family in nearly 50 countries or territories. Fruit bats have an important role as pollinators and seed dispersers in tropical forests throughout the world. They are a source of food for man, being a gourmet delicacy in some areas, whilst some of their cave-roosts have become tourist attractions. In other areas, they are persecuted as pests because of their raids on fruit orchards.