Next week the government of Mauritius plans to start a cull of the endemic Mauritius fruit against all scientific advice! The population estimates given by the government are inaccurate since certainly overestimated. Reducing 20% of their estimated population (which could turn out to be 40% of the real population) could potentially lead to a catastrophic situation where too many bats are shot , making the already vulnerable population even more susceptible to the effects of drought and cyclones. This cull could lead the way to the extinction of the species. A recent study asked normal Mauritians what they think about the fruit bats and they overwhelmingly said they don't want the cull. So not only is the government going against scientific advice they are going against what most people want. They are acting on behalf of a few fruit farmers who believe that bats are damaging from 50% to 100% of their mangos and litchis whilst scientific evidence has shown that bats cause around 11% of damage to those fruits. Exotic birds are also causing damage but most damage is due to the fruits not being harvested before they are too ripe. Please help stop this unscientific, undemocratic, unnecessary killing of the endemic Mauritian fruit bat.