Rare bat colony found in Kepler Mountains
A colony of rare native bats has been discovered in the Kepler Mountains in Fiordland.
The find was made by Department of Conservation rangers this month.
The colony of long-tailed bats is only the second known such habitat in Fiordland.
The bats are ranked as nationally critical.
Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Jo Whitehead said once the bats were gone from the Kepler Mountains it was unlikely they would return as the department did not yet have techniques to transfer bat populations.
Native bats had been decimated by rats in plague years and were particularly vulnerable while breeding in their roost trees during summer.
Five maternity roost trees had been discovered in the Iris Burn Valley.
They were less than 500m from the Kepler Track Great Walk, Ms Whitehead said. The discovery came about as a result of a month-long research project.
It had been supported by the Fiordland Conservation Trust and Distinction Hotels in an effort to find maternity roosts of native bats that had been seen in areas around Te Anau.
Twenty Tauranga students were also instrumental in the find, after recording evidence of bats on automatic detectors in the Iris Burn Valley.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/6189360/Rare-bat-colony-found-in-Kepler-Mountains
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