Will YOU help save pekapeka-tou-roa/ long-tailed bat from extinction?

This isn't Gotham City and there's no distress signal in the sky, but our native pekapeka-tou-roa/ long-tailed bats are in big trouble. Will you answer the bat call and be the superhero who comes to their rescue?

Before humans settled in New Zealand c700 years ago, three bat species were widespread and abundant. Now pekapeka-tou-roa are rarely seen.

The greater short-tailed bat is already extinct and without intervention, the other two species will probably be extinct on the mainland within 50 years. The catastrophic and ongoing decline in New Zealand’s bats is a result of the predators that arrived with humans. But imagine if YOU could help turn this around...

Your superhero donation today will help stop the extinction of pekapeka-tou-roa/ long-tailed bat by carrying out native planting to improve their habitat, predator control to keep them safe from danger and, most importantly, extensive research of their behaviour so we can protect them everywhere they live in New Zealand.

To better protect these amazing creatures from predators (rats and mice), we need to know at what sites and over what area predator control is most required, and what pest reduction targets are needed so the bats don’t just survive, but have the chance to truly thrive in their natural environment.

We need to get up close to the bats – where and when they choose to breed, how they choose their homes, and their chosen flight paths through the forest. We need to follow these bats from birth to adulthood, to assess population trends but ultimately to ensure we are doing everything possible to aid their survival.

This is happening at Te Hoiere Bat Recovery Project in Marlborough - it has been running, mostly with the help of volunteers, for over 10 years. But whilst the team has helped identify 41 roosts and has been carrying out work on the ground to protect the bats, they are not able to keep up with the number of predators threatening the survival of this species. Time is running out. We are failing to reduce rat numbers to low enough numbers for the bat population to be secure, let alone to thrive.

If things continue as they are, at best we are slowing their decline and buying the bats time. We need to get answers to those crucial bat behaviour questions fast.

Your donation will contribute towards the long-term employment of a bat scientist, will help fund the miniature radio-transmitters fitted gently to the bats, and will help cover the costs of the team of dedicated bat-trackers who spend their nights observing these fascinating creatures.