Post-release survivorship of 18 years in a hand-reared grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) revealed by a metal identification band

Abstract

An understanding of the factors associated with post-release survivorship in rehabilitated animals is instrumental for evaluating best-practice rehabilitation and release methods to ultimately achieve optimal conservation outcomes. However, there is almost nothing reported in the scientific literature concerning post-release survivorship in hand-reared flying-foxes, with the only published study to date suggesting that hand-reared flying-foxes have significantly reduced mean longevity following release. We report a case of a hand-reared grey-headed flying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) that was fitted with a metal identification band when it was released in 2004 and recovered alive in 2022. This information provides clear evidence of this individual having post-release survivorship of 18 years. The distance between the release and recovery locations was approximately 297 km, corresponding with the species’ known nomadism. Based on the current scientific information on longevity in the grey-headed flying-fox, this individual would be considered an old animal.