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In Tonga, flying foxes are considered sacred. All flying foxes are the property of the king, meaning non-royal persons cannot harm them in any way. Tongan legend states that a colony of flying foxes at Kolovai are the descendants of a pair of flying foxes gifted to the King of Tonga by the Princess of Samoa. [114]
The bat-eared fox has some commercial use for humans. They are important for harvester termite population control, as the termites are considered pests. They have also been hunted for their fur by Botswana natives. [4] Captive bat-eared foxes are present in zoos in North America, South Africa, Europe, and Asia. [3]
The large flying fox is on Appendix II of CITES, which restricts international trade. [25] One threat to the large flying fox is habitat destruction. [19] Flying foxes are sometimes hunted for food, and the controls on hunting seem to be unenforceable. [4] In some areas, farmers consider them pests as they sometimes feed on their orchards. [14]
Flying foxes are killed for use in traditional medicine. The Indian flying fox, for example, has many perceived medical uses. Some believe that its fat is a treatment for rheumatism. [5] Tribes in the Attappadi region of India eat the cooked flesh of the Indian flying fox to treat asthma and chest pain. [6]
Exposure to flying fox blood, urine, or feces cannot cause infections of Australian bat lyssavirus. Since 1994, there have been three records of people becoming infected with it in Queensland—each case was fatal. [135] Flying foxes are also reservoirs of henipaviruses such as Hendra virus and Nipah virus. Hendra virus was first identified in ...
Researchers found that the foxes had been arranged much like the dogs were, suggesting that they, too, were companions for humans. “There is no reason why foxes could not be domesticated ...
The Richmond Wildlife Center in Richmond, Virginia, shared a video of the center's founder, Melissa Stanley, feeding milk to the tiny female kit — the term for a juvenile fox — while wearing ...
Fox attacks on humans are not common. [36] Many foxes adapt well to human environments, with several species classified as "resident urban carnivores" for their ability to sustain populations entirely within urban boundaries. [37] Foxes in urban areas can live longer and can have smaller litter sizes than foxes in non-urban areas. [37]