A straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) was recorded in the city of Bordj Badji Mokhtar, located in the far south of the Algerian Sahara. This species is native to sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Arabia, and it is not known to occur outside its natural range.
The bat was found by Abdesselam Nasser, who later contacted Algerian mammalogist Mourad Ahmim and the Algerian Wildlife Watchers Association (AWWA). Following this, Kamel Torki, a member of AWWA, visited the site to examine the specimen and take measurements.
This bas almost certainly originated from the transborder wildlife trade that is active in southern Algeria. While some of this trade may be legal (just may be!), the majority is illegal, as evidenced by both published and unpublished observations. For instance, Haddad et al. (2023) documented several non-native bird species in Tamanrasset, either sold in pet stores or observed in the wild after escaping. Most of these species are naturally from the neighbouring sub-Saharan Africa. Compounding the issue, some bird species involved in this trade are threatened and/or listed in CITES appendices, meaning their trade is either prohibited or strictly controlled.
Furthermore, unpublished data from 2024 confirm that the illegal wildlife trade, particularly involving birds, is still ongoing. This trade threatens the biodiversity of source countries and poses a potential risk to the host country, especially if escaped birds establish feral populations.
Reference:
Haddad, K., Chetibi, M. & Afoutni, L. 2023. Nature et ampleur du commerce d’oiseaux exotiques à Tamanrasset (sud algérien) et nouvelle espèce pour la région. Go-South Bulletin 20: 89-101.
