Flying fox on the mend

A LYLE’S flying fox ( pteropus lylei) from Benidorm’s Terra Natura animal park is recovering from a dislocated wing after being treated by the park’s veterinary team.

The animal had suffered the injury to a joint in its right wing. Keepers had detected that it used to stay inside its quarters while the rest of the group of flying foxes went outside to feed.

On observing this strange behaviour, they found the problem to be the animal’s wing, as it was holding it in an unnatural position.

Since then, the veterinary team has treated it and administered painkillers to keep the animal comfortable and thus aided its recovery as much as possible.

After a few days in observation, the injury is healing well and the flying fox is gradually recovering mobility.

This is the first time that a flying fox from Terra Natura Benidorm has suffered this sort of injury, which keepers suspect could have been caused during a fight between males of the same group, since they are in the midst of the mating season and confrontations are more intense and frequent.

Currently the park has a colBy ony of 41 flying foxes, which are the largest bats on the planet.

Some specimens can have a wingspan of two metres. Their name is due to their face, resembling that of a small fox.

The world population of Lyle’s flying foxes has decreased considerably in recent years as a result of direct hunting, deforestation and the progressive degradation of their habitat. According to the IUCN ( International Union for Conservation of Nature), this species has registered a decline of around 30% during the last 15 years.