Sulu Garden Foundation Joins UPLB Researchers in Bat Study
Published March 28, 2025
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On March 24, 2025, the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) of Miagao invited the Sulu Garden Foundation (SGF) team to join and observe a bat study conducted by researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) headed by Mr. Phillip Alviola, Ph.D. This study, part of the Pandemic Response Preparedness for Emerging Bat-Borne Viruses (PREVENT) program, aims to detect viruses with pandemic potential, such as coronaviruses, Reston Ebola virus, and Nipah virus, in wild bats and examine the possibility of spillover to local mammalian livestock, including cows, pigs, and goats. The team consists of wildlife biologists Kirk Tiray and Jezryl Jaeger Garcia; microbiology experts John Daniel Ong and Joswa Billonid; and technical assistants Jayson Bulalacao and Ricardo Buenviaje.
The SGF team actively participated and observed the UPLB research process, which included pre-experiment preparations for containment facilities, the setup of sky nets at sampling sites, and the careful collection of bats for sample collection. These activities provided invaluable insights into the methods used by researchers to study the fruit bats.
The UPLB team also shared several key insights with SGF that enhanced their understanding of Miagao’s bat populations:
- While SGF initially identified the bats as Pteropus hypomelanus, the UPLB researchers noted that other species, such as Pteropus pumilus, Pteropus vampyrus, and possibly the endangered Philippine endemic Acerodon jubatus, were also present. According to UPLB, this mix of species is normal and common.
- The presence of large juveniles suggests that the breeding season likely occurred between late December and February, earlier than previously reported by Ouillette (2006)
- The UPLB team observed that this was their first encounter with a bat population roosting in an urban area near a municipal plaza and public spaces. Remarkably, the bats appeared undisturbed, indicating that they have adapted well and have likely been there for a long time.
- The researchers explained that fruit bats roost in one type of tree and feed on another to prevent overburdening and potentially harming their feeding trees, showcasing their intricate relationship with their ecosystem.
Setting up sky nets (left); collecting samples from fruit bats (right), photo by Mr. Kirk Tiray, UPLB Project PREVENT
To further foster collaboration, on March 27, the SGF team hosted the UPLB researchers for a dinner meeting. The gathering served as a platform to discuss initial findings from the study, explore future research directions, and identify exciting opportunities for collaborative projects that would further conservation and pandemic preparedness efforts.
This collaboration exemplifies the importance of working together to better understand and protect Miagao’s rich biodiversity while contributing to global efforts to prevent future pandemics. Stay tuned for more updates on our joint conservation initiatives!
Read more about our March 2025 Bat Count through this LINK.
GALLERY
About SGF
Sulu Garden Foundation is named after the Sulu Sea – the largest inland sea in the Philippines. Our mission concentrates on this sea and the provinces that surround it. These provinces have diverse cultures and religions, yet, they all share history and traditions. The foundation has various programs and activities focused on history and heritage, the arts, nature conservation, research and development, and community.
About UPLB Animal Biology Division
The Animal Biology Division (ABD) of UP Los Baños consists of faculty and researchers specializing in the fields related to animal biology such as anatomy and physiology, taxonomy, systematics and evolutionary biology, vertebrate and invertebrate biology and ecology. The division has active collaboration with international and national universities and research institutes on its academic, research, and extension activities.
