Tragically, baby flying fox Onyx was orphaned when he lost his grip on his mother and fell from her body. He was tiny and just a few weeks old.
Infants like Onyx are born blind, hairless and completely reliant on their mothers. Becoming separated is bewildering, terrifying and, in most instances, fatal.
The odds of survival for orphaned flying foxes are low – but, with your help, Onyx has a chance.
Baby flying foxes, also known as pups, cling to their mothers for the first several weeks of their lives. This (pictured right) is what happens when they fall. Credit: Batusi Nights and Hugh Pitty
For these remarkable little ecosystem engineers, life can be brutal, and deadly threats are everywhere.
Tiny Onyx would have been completely defenceless in an inhospitable landscape. Infants fall from their mothers for a variety of reasons: predator attacks, flying difficulties (due to mothers’ injuries), or their mothers being ill, injured or starving. They are also torn apart when hunters catch the mothers to be killed and eaten in ‘bat curry’ – a local ‘delicacy’ fed to tourists.
Most of these helpless infants do not make it.
But Onyx was one of the lucky ones, because our partner, Protect Paradise Seychelles (PPS), came to the rescue. He was immediately taken into their care, given critical nutrition and treated for parasites.
Now in the safe care of Protect Paradise, the fight is not over during this critical period of treatment and rehabilitation. Credit: Protect Paradise
But Onyx’s fight for survival is not over yet – and he needs YOUR help today.
This vulnerable infant will need close monitoring, treatment and expert rehabilitation for at least six months. If we can raise $3,000 (£2,240), we can cover his treatment for six months, as well as help provide life-saving care and nutrition for the other orphaned baby bats in our partner’s care.
Flying foxes are delicate, harmless and vitally important to the environment.
Flying fox mothers and their pups share a strong, dependent bond. Credit: Nico Faramaz/Shutterstock
Flying foxes are critical in pollinating flowering plants and dispersing seeds, keeping forests healthy. They reproduce very slowly, giving birth to just one pup a year, so every life counts.
Caring for our planet means caring for all its creatures – not only the majestic elephants of Africa, but also the tiniest flying foxes fighting for survival in an unforgiving landscape – like Onyx.
Today, this little fighter and so many others like him need every ounce of your support to survive. He’s counting on you – please, donate to his recovery today.
