Post by L Roebuck on Aug 31, 2006 7:31:35 GMT -5
Native Bats treated at Wildlife Ward
Veterinary surgeons at the University’s NZ Wildlife Health Centre are trying to find the cause of a severe dermatitis damaging the ears of native short-tailed bats recently relocated to Kapiti Island.
Two of Kapiti’s population of the endangered, endemic mammal are being treated for the condition, which affects bats’ ability to echolocate.
The bats were brought to the Palmerston North-based ward by the Conservation Department, which has relocated short-tailed bats from a population in the Tararua ranges to Kapiti Island.
Surgeon Dr Brett Gartrell says the department’s staff have been monitoring Kapiti’s bat population since their relocation last year. Despite a loss of up to two thirds of their ears due to the dermatitis, the bats have maintained a healthy weight and continue to forage on the ground – a unique behavioural characteristic of the species.
Dr Gartrell says the decision to bring two of the island bats to the ward for further tests was made when their condition was found to be worsening. Biopsies taken from each ear tip under general anaesthesia have not revealed the underlying cause of the dermatitis.
A possible cause is ear tip damage resulting from vascular injury, he says, and which is complicated by secondary infection. The Massey wildlife vets are continuing treatment and their findings are being used to treat the bats on Kapiti to reduce the scarring damage caused by the secondary infections.
Department spokeswoman Lynn Adams says the bats will return to Kapiti when they have made a full recovery, as part of the world-leading translocation programme to establish a self-sustaining island population.
The collaborative efforts of the department, Massey and Wellington Zoo wildlife veterinarians, along with private veterinarians, has been critical in successfully developing the techniques to transfer bats to Kapiti Island.
Background information on the translocation programme can be found at: www.doc.govt.nz
Bat facts:
- Long- and short-tailed bats are New Zealand's only endemic land mammals and both species are fully protected
- The endangered lesser short-tailed bat is an ancient species unique to New Zealand and is found only at a few scattered sites. A colony of around 300 short-tailed bats was found in the Waiohine Valley of the Tararua Forest Park in the late 1990s.
- Pups from this unique and isolated colony, born in captivity, have been transferred to Kapiti Island in an attempt to establish an insurance population in a predator-free environment.
- The short-tailed bat is listed by the Conservation Department as a species of highest conservation priority.
- They weight from 12-15g, have large pointed ears, a free tail and are a mousy-grey colour.
- Unlike most bats, which catch their prey in the air, the short-tailed bat has adapted to ground hunting and is one of the few bats in the world that spends large amounts of time on the forest floor, using its folded wings as front limbs while moving around.
- The bat’s diet consists of insects, fruit, nectar and pollen.
Article
Veterinary surgeons at the University’s NZ Wildlife Health Centre are trying to find the cause of a severe dermatitis damaging the ears of native short-tailed bats recently relocated to Kapiti Island.
Two of Kapiti’s population of the endangered, endemic mammal are being treated for the condition, which affects bats’ ability to echolocate.
The bats were brought to the Palmerston North-based ward by the Conservation Department, which has relocated short-tailed bats from a population in the Tararua ranges to Kapiti Island.
Surgeon Dr Brett Gartrell says the department’s staff have been monitoring Kapiti’s bat population since their relocation last year. Despite a loss of up to two thirds of their ears due to the dermatitis, the bats have maintained a healthy weight and continue to forage on the ground – a unique behavioural characteristic of the species.
Dr Gartrell says the decision to bring two of the island bats to the ward for further tests was made when their condition was found to be worsening. Biopsies taken from each ear tip under general anaesthesia have not revealed the underlying cause of the dermatitis.
A possible cause is ear tip damage resulting from vascular injury, he says, and which is complicated by secondary infection. The Massey wildlife vets are continuing treatment and their findings are being used to treat the bats on Kapiti to reduce the scarring damage caused by the secondary infections.
Department spokeswoman Lynn Adams says the bats will return to Kapiti when they have made a full recovery, as part of the world-leading translocation programme to establish a self-sustaining island population.
The collaborative efforts of the department, Massey and Wellington Zoo wildlife veterinarians, along with private veterinarians, has been critical in successfully developing the techniques to transfer bats to Kapiti Island.
Background information on the translocation programme can be found at: www.doc.govt.nz
Bat facts:
- Long- and short-tailed bats are New Zealand's only endemic land mammals and both species are fully protected
- The endangered lesser short-tailed bat is an ancient species unique to New Zealand and is found only at a few scattered sites. A colony of around 300 short-tailed bats was found in the Waiohine Valley of the Tararua Forest Park in the late 1990s.
- Pups from this unique and isolated colony, born in captivity, have been transferred to Kapiti Island in an attempt to establish an insurance population in a predator-free environment.
- The short-tailed bat is listed by the Conservation Department as a species of highest conservation priority.
- They weight from 12-15g, have large pointed ears, a free tail and are a mousy-grey colour.
- Unlike most bats, which catch their prey in the air, the short-tailed bat has adapted to ground hunting and is one of the few bats in the world that spends large amounts of time on the forest floor, using its folded wings as front limbs while moving around.
- The bat’s diet consists of insects, fruit, nectar and pollen.
Article