I am an early career researcher in bat ecology, wildlife management, biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability through community engagements. My interest in Eidolon helvum started in 2009 after a family visit to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife in Osun State, and I wondered about their size, number and the fact that there was no mention of bats throughout my undergraduate studies. On further enquiries from some people living on the campus, I was told they have been there since the establishment of the University and how they destroy trees and constitute nuisance to the area with their faecal droppings and noise. I also observed that they were hunted with the use of catapults. At that point, I knew that I would love to study them and bring out more information about the species. I began the Eidolon helvum monitoring in 2012 in the southwest region of Nigeria after my MSc studies in 2011 from A.P, Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, Jos starting with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan. Though I was met with administrative challenges which slowed me down a bit I have not given up. This has inspired me to have trained other young students both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level on monitoring Eidolon helvum. I have now begun to expand the Eidolon helvum monitoring team to the Northern part of the country to include Benue and Plateau States. An active monitoring began in 2019 and meeting Natalie Weber encouraged me to keep on with the monitoring. I believe that monitoring this single species can connect African bat scientists thereby ensuring that productive research is carried out while encouraging citizen science at the same time.

I am a wildlife specialist with special interest in birds, bats and butterflies. I began the Eidolon helvum monitoring with Temidayo in 2012 and successfully supervised students both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels with interest in Eidolon helvum. I provide professional, logistics and institutional support during the monthly monitoring. Monitoring of the species within cities has shown some trends that link raining and dry seasons. Also, monitoring the species has given insights into dispersal activities through dietary analysis as well as hunting pressures. I am committed to the species conservation and will continue to get involved in the monitoring as we continue to unravel the information they provide via diseases, climate and habitat changes.

I am a lecturer at the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi as well as PhD student in the Department of Wildlife and Ecotourism Management, University of Ibadan. I came to know about Eidolon helvum through Temidayo Adeyanju in 2019 during her research work. She told me so much about bats and how I can contribute to the monitoring of Eidolon helvum in Makurdi.  She trained me and I in turn trained two volunteering students who had their research on Eidolon helvum in 2019-2020. I am committed to Eidolon helvum monitoring and hope to contribute meaningfully to the conservation of the species and the important role they play in the regeneration of degraded habitats.

I am wildlife biologist and speaker, parasitologist and conservationist. I am currently a PhD student enrolled in University of Ibadan and I also work as a researcher and lecturer at Bowen University, Iwo. My journey with Eidolon began in 2018 when a bird team under the lead of Dr Adeyanju went for field research at Old Oyo National Park. Bats were constantly been trapped in the mist nets and Dr Adeyanju will carefully get them out and identify them. One of the species captured was the Eidolon helvum, I was so captivated by the size and on further questioning, he explained that it’s the second largest fruit bat in Africa and that there are lots of hunting pressures on the species. After my MSc, I got an opportunity to work with Bowen University and will research on the Eidolon helvum population on the campus. Glad about the opening, I accepted the challenge which began my indepth research into the history of the species. I am currently working on Eidolon helvum with respect to genetic diversity and dietary composition in three sites with two states in southwest Nigeria towards a doctoral degree. I also began a volunteering position with Batlife Conservation Initiative learning more skills on monitoring Eidolon helvum as well. I believe that volunteering with the network will expand and improve my expertise.

Eidolon helvum plays a crucial role in the ecosystems as a major seed disperser for many plant species. They consume fruits and then disperse the seeds through their droppings, promoting forest regeneration and plant diversity. Their absence can lead to imbalance in the ecosystem. However, the population of Eidolon is currently declining steadily. The conservation status of Eidolon helvum now stands at Near Threatened (NT), this is largely due to hunting pressure, habitat/roost destruction and poor perception about this species. The ecological importance and conservation status of this species propelled my interest in the species. I am poised to be a great member of this monitoring team. My research interest otherwise focuses on human-wildlife interactions and the potential for emergence of infectious diseases. 

I am a volunteer with Batlife Conservation Initiative. A 400 level student at the Department of Wildlife and Ecotourism Management, I was motivated to join the Bat monitoring project out of curiosity. The straw colored fruit bats roost on a mango tree in my hostel at school (University of Ibadan). I observed that sometimes I don't see them and some months later, they are back. This went on and I shared it with my principal, Mrs. Temidayo Adeyanju. She gave me some other information about them and eventually informed me about the Bat monitoring project. So far, the experience has been beautiful. I have been to many roost sites in southwest Nigeria and I am always eager to travel to make my readings and record my observations because I know the trend from the data is important in making conservation plans for the species. Going round different roost sites has been interesting and educating and I look forward to going beyond southwest Nigeria and even the country to observe the roost sites and document my observations.