Bats thought to be extinct reappear after 4 decades

Conservationists have recently confirmed that the Hill's Horseshoe bat still exists in the dense Nyungwe rainforest of Rwanda.

During the past 40 years, there have not been any observations of Hill's Horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus hilli) in the world, leading the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to list them as "critically endangered". in the Red Book. Many scientists even think that they may have completely disappeared on Earth.

Hill's Horseshoe bat was found in Nyungwe forest in 2019.

"We are the first to see this species of bat in such a long time. It's unbelievable!", Jon Flanders, Director of Bat Conservation International (BCI), happily confirmed in a statement late on March 8.

The Texas-based nonprofit partnered with the Rwanda Development Board and the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Society to conduct forest surveys starting in 2013. Through 2019, after a tour After a 10-day expedition, scouring the caves of the forest, they came across a bat very similar to what they were looking for.

"We immediately recognized it as very special and remarkable," said expedition leader Winifred Frick at BCI. "The features of the creature's face are exaggerated to the point of humour."

However, it took Frick and his colleagues another three years to gather enough information and verify the species.

From bumblebee bats weighing just 2 grams to giant fruit bats with a wingspan of 1.5 meters, bats make up one-fifth of all land mammals. Of the 1,321 species assessed in the IUCN Red List, up to 40% are now subspecies at risk of extinction. Human activities such as deforestation are the main threat.

For researchers in Rwanda, the new discovery marks the beginning of a conservation race. "Now, we need to figure out how to protect this species long-term into the future," Flanders stressed.