MOSCOW – A bat flew 2,018 kilometers from London, UK, to Pskov, Russia, but its record flight ended in a deadly cat attack. This is the farthest trip recorded by a bat from Britain across Europe, breaking all previously known British records.
After the feline attack, Nathusius’ thumb-sized female bat weighing 8 grams was recovered by Svetlana Lapina in the small village of Molgino, Pskov region, and rescued by a bat rehabilitation team. , but she later died.
Russian conservationists were able to trace its origin because its wing was branded “London Zoo”. “This is an extraordinary journey and the longest we know of any bat from Great Britain across Europe. What an Olympian,” he commented to the Bbc Lisa Worledge, Head of Conservation Services at the UK’s Bat Conservation Trust
“His journey – he added – is an exciting scientific discovery and another piece in the bat migration puzzle. The movements of Nathusius’ bats in the UK and between the UK and the continent remain largely mysterious.”
“It’s very exciting. It’s great to be able to contribute to international conservation work to protect these extraordinary animals and learn more about their fascinating lives,” commented Brian Briggs who had ringed his wing in 2016.
In Europe, only one other Nathusius bat, which migrated from Latvia to Spain in 2019, has flown more kilometers: 2,224 km.
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