Bat Activity Triples in New Zealand

Level 1 (A2)

Long-tailed bats are becoming more active near the Heaphy Track in New Zealand. The track is in Kahurangi National Park. In February 2026, a team studied the bats along the Heaphy and Gunner rivers. The team put digital recorders at 25 places for 12 nights with good weather. The machines listened for the high sounds that bats make when they fly. In 2018, the average result was 1.79 bat passes. In 2026, it was 6.75 passes. This means the recorded bat activity was more than three times as high. At one place, a recorder counted more than 500 passes on three different nights. However, a pass rate is not an exact count of all the bats. It shows how often the machines detected bats in that area.

The Department of Conservation says predator control is helping. Long-tailed bats rest and have their babies in holes in old trees. Rats, stoats, and wild cats can enter these holes and kill them. When there are fewer predators, bats have safe periods to breed and raise their young. Female bats meet in special groups, move between trees, and usually have only one baby each year. An adult female can live for more than 20 years, so every adult is important. The monitoring also suggests that bats are moving from a known breeding area near the Gunner River toward the Heaphy River. Walkers may now have a better chance of seeing the small bats at sunset. The work must continue because more tree seeds can bring more rats and stoats. The new results are good news, but the bats still need protection.