Rare albino bat spotted in Negros Occidental

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – A rare albino bat was spotted in Danjugan Island in Cauayan town here recently.

Dave Albao, executive director of the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation which manages Danjugan Island, said their head tour guide found the rare bat at the cave a couple of weeks ago.

He was upbeat to see the rare bat as it is not endemic to Negros Occidental. “We have been spotting him/her ever since,” he added.

Danjugan Island remains to be an important wildlife sanctuary in Negros Occidental, where animals like the rare albino bat take refuge, Albao said.

He urged the public “to protect our wildlife as they indicate the health of the very nature we depend on.”

He said cave nectar bats, usually black and gray, are ecologically important to the island’s ecosystems for seed dispersal and as bioindicators for a sustainable future.

“The white bat reminds us how special these mammals are,” he added.

Albinism is the lack of pigmentation which causes white hair and pink eyes in mammals and human beings. – Rappler.com