Short-tailed bats to be transferred to Kapiti Island, New Zealand

From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!

Thursday, February 3, 2005

Tararua Ranges, New Zealand – In an attempt at a world first twenty short-tailed bats are to be moved by the New Zealand Department of Conservation from the Tararua Ranges to Kapiti Island. If the transfer to predator-free Kapiti works, it will become the first time that bats have ever been trans-located.

All previous attempts at moving bats have failed due to their natural homing instincts. However scientists with the Department of Conservation, are aiming to overcome this by shifting juveniles. The young bats, which weigh in at only 14 grams each, were born in the week around New Year and were raised at Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre near Eketahuna.

Conservation Minister Chris Carter said that while the trial was risky, it was also worthwhile. "A willingness to push boundaries and try new things is exactly what conservation in New Zealand needs," he said.

References

• Grant Miller "Bat pups heading to Kapiti" – stuff.co.nz, 03 February 2005
• "Rare bats to be moved in world first" – The New Zealand Herald, 03.02.05 1.00pm
• "Bats on the move to save their species" – The Wairarapa Times-Age, 03.02.2005
• John Myers "Bat chat" – stuff.co.nz, 31 January 2005

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable. Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators. Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections. Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.