2 Guam species now considered extinct
Two species from Guam - the bridled white-eye and little Mariana fruit bat - are now considered extinct and are part of a list of 23 species that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to remove from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction. Eleven of the species are from the Pacific Islands.
"The (little Mariana fruit bat) was last seen in the wild in 1968, and though listed as endangered, didn't have the opportunity to benefit from the full protections of the Act," Earl Campbell, field supervisor for Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, stated in a release. "However, fanihi (Mariana fruit bat) are still found throughout Guam and the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands and are listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to working with Guam Department of Agriculture and CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife to protect this species."
The Guam bridled white-eye was last seen in 1983. The birds are found on other islands in the Mariana archipelago but the Guam subspecies, known as "nossa," was found only on this island. Many of the species that are now proposed for delisting from the Endangered Species list were already extremely rare or uncommon when discovered or when federally listed, according to the release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
'A sense of loss'
"We do feel a sense of loss for these two species that did not have the full protections needed to recover. We experienced the same loss with other bird species on Guam. But, here at (the Guam Department of Agriculture), we take that sense of loss and use it to fuel our commitment to work with our partners to protect the fanihi, sihek, koko, and other native species for our community," Director Chelsa Muna-Brecht stated in the release.
Read more: https://www.postguam.com/news/local/2-guam-species-now-considered-extinct/article_e5cc4664-227e-11ec-a2c2-339295b573b3.html
Bridled White-Eye
The larger cousin--Mariana fruit bat