Few native bats found in search

A search for native long-tailed and short-tailed bats in the top of the south has unearthed some disappointing results, says Nelson bat scientist Dr Brian Lloyd.

Dr Lloyd, who was contracted by Forest and Bird to lead a $54,984 summer-long bat population project, said it was hoped that surveys, using detectors that pick up bats' high-frequency echo location calls, would find populations in St Arnaud, Kaituna, Wairoa and Motueka, but very few were found.

Those that were found were likely to be vagrants or relics of previous bat populations, Dr Lloyd said. "It has come as a surprise. Given the large amount of forest in the area, we expected a lot more bats."

He said the disappearance of the only known local population of short-tailed bats from Oparara Basin north of Karamea was particularly disappointing.

"Fortunately, there are more bats down the West Coast, in Fiordland and in the central North Island."

Dr Lloyd said the destruction of native forest by early European settlers had reduced bat populations throughout New Zealand. Predators such as rats and stoats had also contributed to their decline.

"Historic records indicated that there were still healthy bat populations in the top of the south until the 1950s, but they have declined markedly since then."

He suspected that widespread german wasps were adding to the problem.

- © Fairfax NZ News