The gentle gardnener

Ready to feast on ripening figs, an Indian flying fox hangs beneath the canopy in Chattogram’s Hathazari upazila. Native to the Indian subcontinent, the species ranges across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. With a wingspan reaching up to 1.5 metres, this giant fruit bat is among the largest bats on Earth. Indian flying foxes are primarily frugivorous, feeding on ripe fruits such as mangoes, guava, and figs, while also sipping nectar and occasionally eating flowers or leaves. Despite their intimidating size, these gentle “sky gardeners” quietly help regenerate hundreds of plant species across the region through pollination and seed dispersal. Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, they remain vital ecological allies.