Biosecurity New Zealand and the Department of Conservation (Doc) said they were investigating a possible sighting of a native Australian bat in a Dunedin park after a grainy photograph, first published on social media platform Reddit, got a lot of attention online.
However, yesterday Biosecurity New Zealand animal health incursion investigations team manager Kelly Buckle said the investigation had concluded and no evidence of exotic bats was found.
Staff conducted a search of the park where the suspected bats were observed, Ms Buckle said.
No non-native bats were found, neither was any evidence of the presence of exotic bats.
Further, the ‘‘poor resolution of the image’’ supplied to Biosecurity New Zealand meant bat experts could not identify any visible physical characteristics typical of bats.
‘‘There isn’t an obvious pathway for flying foxes to accidentally arrive and survive in Dunedin.
‘‘On balance and given the distance from which the suspected bats were observed, it is possible that the bat-like objects were in fact leaf clusters that resemble the shape of flying foxes.’’
When the Otago Daily Times reported yesterday that Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Doc were investigating the possible sighting, readers also questioned whether the image was indeed a bat.
‘‘Someone has a good imagination,’’ one reader said.
‘‘Wonderful artistic use of a black plastic rubbish bag,’’ another said.
‘‘Dried-up leaf - it is autumn,’’ yet another said.
‘‘Or a pair of black undies, everyone's gone batty.’’
Previously, MPI said there had only ever been two exotic bat finds within New Zealand’s borders, both were little red flying foxes.
One was found dead in 1926 southeast of Hamilton and another in Marlborough in 2024.
— APL
