Monfort Bat Sanctuary

Why Monfort Bat Sanctuary is special ?

The Monfort Bat Sanctuary is home to 1.8 million Geoffroy’s Rousette fruit bats (Rousettus amplexicaudatus) – the largest known colony of the species in the world. The bats all live in a single cave – guests aren’t allowed to enter, but they can peer over bamboo railings into any of five openings where the seething masses of sleeping fruit bats can be seen coating the cave walls.

What to explore at Monfort Bat Sanctuary?

After this incident, Norma Monfort changed the rules – bamboo rails were added around the cave openings, visitors now have to sit through an orientation talk before seeing the bats, and loud noises are prohibited. Ms. Monfort has even resisted harvesting bat guano, which can sell for hundreds of dollars per kilo, for fear of scaring the bats. Still, managing the bat cave is largely a one-woman show, which Ms. Monfort rues.

The Monfort bat sanctuary sees about a hundred visitors a day, according to Ms. Monfort’s estimate, each paying about PHP 100 P for the privilege of seeing the bats roosting on the cave walls. Visitors enter an orientation hall, where a guide explains the significance of the bats in the local ecosystem.

After being briefed on the bats, visitors walk up a cobbled path to see the cave openings, each one surrounded by bamboo railings. The cave openings exude a strong ammonia/musk smell of bat poop (guano), but that is nothing compared to the sight of hundreds of thousands of Geoffroy’s Rousette fruit bats massed on the cave walls.

Visitors can walk around the cave openings at their leisure, seeing the bats from numerous angles. Despite their nocturnal nature, the bats roosting on the walls are not always asleep – in fact, there’s a flurry of activity among the bats even in the daytime. The bats are constantly jostling each other, changing position, fighting for space, and caring for their young. The bats’ constant shrieking echoes from the caves.

Source: http://goseasia.about.com/od/philippinestopattractions/a/Monfort-Bat-Sanctuary-Samal-Island-Philippines.htm

How to get to Monfort Bat Sanctuary?

The Monfort Bat Sanctuary is located near the Samal Island coast, and is accessible by road via hired car. You can also ride a bus headed to Samal, the Samal Island City Express, from Magsaysay Park (7°4'28.5992"N, 125°37'31.0364"E) in Davao City – the bus crosses the strait separating Samal from Davao via a Roll-On-Roll-Off ferry. From the ferry wharf on Samal, you can commission a “habal-habal”, or a motorcycle driver, to take you to the Monfort Bat Sanctuary.

To reach Norma Monfort’s Philippine Bat Conservation foundation, call +63 82 221 8925, +63 82 225 8854, +63 917 705 4295 or email: [email protected]

Source: http://goseasia.about.com/od/philippinestopattractions/a/Monfort-Bat-Sanctuary-Samal-Island-Philippines.htm