An endangered bat not seen for 40 years was found in Rwanda | the animals

“The rediscovery of extinct species has been incredible,” John Flanders, director of Bat Conservation International (BCI), said in a statement. “It’s amazing to think we’re the first to see this bat in such a long time.” The Texas-based nonprofit has partnered with the Rwanda Development Board and the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Society since 2013 to conduct surveys in the forest.

Scientists found the bat in 2019 after a 10-day expedition, surveying caves in the forest. But it took them another three years to verify the species. “We knew right away that the bat we caught was unusual and wonderful,” said Winifred Frick, chief scientist at BCI. “The animal’s facial features are magnified to a comical level.”

The discovery was made in Nyungwe National Park in the African country. This is a dense rainforest where, among other things, endangered mountain gorillas live. There was no information on the mammal population and the International Organization for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed it as critically endangered in 2021.

Bats make up one fifth of land mammals. About 40 percent of the 1,321 species on the IUCN Red List are now classified as critically endangered. This is largely man-made: deforestation and habitat loss are the main causes. This discovery is the start of a new battle for researchers in Rwanda to prevent the species from disappearing again.

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The mass extinction of animals and plants also causes problems for us: “If one species disappears one by one, it disrupts everything” †