Caregivers put bat youngster

san diego - Caregivers in the San Diego Zoo face the difficult task of rearing a Rodrigues Flying Fox (Pteropus rodricensis). The mother of this rare bat, which feeds on tropical fruit, died during childbirth. Which took place on the operating table by means of an equally special caesarean.

The male pup needs constant care. He gets to eat every two hours, being kept clean, cuddled and seduced into games. The animal, which can reach a wingspan of 90 centimeters on average, staying until he can join his peers in an incubator at a temperature between 29 and 32 degrees. ' He is tasty spicy, not afraid to let us know what he wants and very playful, '' said spokeswoman Kimberly Millspaugh.

This endangered fruit bats are only found on Rodrigues, an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. A cyclone has destroyed much of their habitat in 2003. The San Diego Zoo has therefore started a breeding program to save the species.