Draft Revised Recovery Plan for the Mariana Fruit Bat Released for Public Review

A draft revised recovery plan that outlines steps needed to recover the threatened Mariana fruit bat, known as fanihi in the Chamorro language, was released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for public review and comment. The fanihi is a subspecies of fruit bat found only in the Mariana archipelago, including the US territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

"Throughout its history, the fanihi has been an essential part of the culture of the Mariana Islands," said Loyal Mehrhoff, field supervisor for the Fish and Wildlife Office in the Pacific Islands.