Rodrigues Fruit Bat Conservation
The Rodrigues fruit bat is an endangered species found only on the small island of Rodrigues in the southern Indian Ocean.
/wp-content/themes/philadelphia-zoo/dist/favicons/apple-touch-icon.png
Philadelphia Zoo
Rodrigues Environmental Education Program

In addition to managed breeding, an aggressive reforestation and a long-term environmental education program was implemented in 1994 by the Rodrigues Environmental Education Program (REEP) which also helped to rebuild numbers. Developed by Philadelphia Zoo and led by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, REEP educates residents, landholders, and students on the importance of forest restoration and biodiversity.

Because of the original intervention from the Trust, and the continued collaboration with zoos across the U.S., today there are about 20,000 Rodrigues fruit bats left in the wild, and about 200 living in Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) zoos across the country. Rodrigues fruit bats are one of seven bat species successfully managed under an AZA Species Survival Plan and bred in zoos. Bats born and raised at Philadelphia Zoo routinely move to AZA partner institutions around the country to further stabilize the future of this species