A species of bat thought to be virtually extinct has been sighted for the first time in 40 years in Rwanda, the scientists behind the "incredible" discovery have said.
The Hills Horseshoe Crab was listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2021, and it is unknown how many specimens are still alive in the state. Savage.
In a press release published late this Tuesday evening, the American organization Bat Conservation International (BCI), dedicated to the protection of bats everywhere on the planet, indicated that it had captured a representative of this species in January 2019 in the national park of Nyungwe, an area of dense rainforest in southwestern Rwanda that is home to another endangered species, the mountain gorilla.
The rinolophe was released after being measured and photographed, say BCI researchers.
Volume up to hear the first ever recording of the Hill's horseshoe bat (𝘙𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪) echolocation call.
This recording was taken during our expedition to find the "lost" species which had only been seen twice, last in 1981.
📷 Dr. Winifred Frick pic.twitter.com/dGgIlFNTpE
— Bat Conservation International (@BatConIntl) March 8, 2022
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The “real work starts now”
It took the latter three years to identify the mammal, after a passage through the archives of European museums which confirmed that the captured bat was indeed the first evidence in 40 years that the Hills' horseshoe rinolophe still existed on Earth, adds BCI.
"We knew immediately that the bat we had caught was unusual and remarkable," BCI chief scientist Winifred Frick said in the statement.
His "facial features were comically exaggerated."
Jon Flanders, director of BCI, speaks of an "incredible" rediscovery, judging "amazing to think that we were the first people to see this bat for so long".
BCI says the find was made possible through a partnership with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the Rwanda Wildlife Protection Association (RWCA).
But for Jon Flanders, "the real work starts now, and it's about figuring out how to protect this species in the long term".
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