To Cull, or Not To Cull, Bat is the Question.

Abstract

Whether it is justified or effective to cull populations of bats, as a means for mitigating human–animal conflict or controlling disease, is an issue that has recently resurfaced with moves by the Mauritius government to cull a population of endangered Mauritius flying foxes (Pteropus niger) (IUCN 2015). Similar calls for fruit bat culls by the Australian government in response to crop damage and outbreaks of Hendra virus (Walker and Nadin 2011) underscore the urgent need for a more robust, sciencebased approach to guide wildlife management. Here, I review the evidence and argue that culling of bat populations is not an effective means to mitigate conflict with fruit growers, nor to reduce the likelihood of zoonotic disease risk.