Long-tailed bats, that is.
You might recall our June article, A win for bats, where we reported that a recent study over summer on native long-tailed bat populations in Central Hawke’s Bay found four colonies and 68 roost trees. From that story:
“Bat numbers nationally were thought to be stable,” reports Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay, “but due to predators (cats, rats, stoats and possums) combined with a loss of their natural habitat of old trees and lowland forests, there has been a recent threat status increase to Nationally Critical, the highest ranking. This means without management there is a high likelihood of extinction of this native bat.”
Well, we’re pleased to report that Biodiversity HB has just secured a $40,000 grant from DOC.
The grant will fund telemetry work to determine if the long-tailed bat colonies discovered in the Makaretu area are stable or declining.
In another biodiversity win for Hawke’s Bay, DOC also awarded $25,000 to Cape Sanctuary to implement landscape scale cat and ferret control.
A good day for the bats and birds!
Photo: The Conservation Company
Great to know there is support for these very worthy causes.