The Monfort Bat Cave in Samal Island, which has been designated as a key eco-tourism destination site for Mindanao and a Guinness World Records holder, launched the Bat Emergence Night Tours (BENT) on June 3, as June is dubbed Eco-Tourism Month.
Several exhibitors were invited to showcase their products at the area. Local talents also performed to make the trip of visitors to the park a worthwhile experience.
The Bent occurs when the sun goes down and becomes pitch dark for bats to feel safe to emerge from their habitat. It is oftentimes referred to as the “circadian flight”, a terminology coined to describe the magical swirling of hundreds of fruit bats as they emerge out of the openings of the cave to forage for food every night. This goes on from around 6pm to 9pm.
“This nightly occurrence is an awe-inspiring experience,” said Norma Monfort, Founder and President of the Monfort Bat Cave & Conservation Foundation (MBCCF), Inc. “People will immediately become educated, learning that bats — nocturnal mammals — are after all gentle creatures that need not be feared,” Monfort said.
Misconceptions about bats getting stuck in human hairs, are vampires, or are rabid and attack humans are part of an endless list of myths. All these are part of the education and advocacy program conducted by the Philippine Bat Conservation, Inc. working in partnership with Bat Conservation International, Inc. based in Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
“The advocacy program aims to educate people about the contribution and importance of bats in maintaining balance to our ecology so that people begin to translate that basic understanding to the need to share with them mother earth’s bounty,” Monfort explained.
The bat emergence tour will run from Fridays to Sundays at 6 to 9pm for the whole month of June. It is an official part of Davao del Norte’s provincial theme: “Heal the world and make it a better place”. Proceeds from these tours will go to bat conservation, education, advocacy, and research programs.
For more details, please contact (082) 224-2972, (082) 234-7958, (082) 303-1915, or email philippinebat@gmail.com, monfortbat@yahoo.com, info@batsanctuary.com
For reference:
Norma Monfort
Founder/President, Monfort Bat Cave & Conservation Foundation (MBCCF), Inc.,
Executive Director, Philippine Bat Conservation, Inc. (PBCI)
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