An “Olympic” bat flies 2000 km between the United Kingdom and Russia to fall into the claws of a cat

Posted:

7 before 2021 20:51 GMT

The young animal, Pipistrellus nathusii, wore a ring on its leg that identified it as a resident of the London Zoo.

A small London zoo bat named ‘Olympic’ flew away 2,018 km Throughout Europe, between the United Kingdom and Russia, to complete one of the longest journeys known to an animal of this species. However, when the animal “landed” on the other side of the continent, it fell into the claws of a cat that did not hesitate to describe it as a strange lunch.

UK Bat Conservation Fund ad This Thursday the tragic end of the small mammal and said that it was found by a resident of the Russian village of Molgino in the Pskov region.

Svetlana Lapina found a bat injured on the ground She handed her over to the Russian rehabilitation service for this type of animal, but the animal did not survive its fatal encounter with cats. Lapina also noted that the animal was wearing a ring on its leg identifying it as a resident of the London Zoo.

The ‘Olympic’, which in its last flight broke all records among its British counterparts, belonged to the species ‘Pipistrellus nathusii’, the size of thumb human weight only eight grams.

“This is an extraordinary journey and the longest we know of of a bat from Britain through Europe,” said Lisa Worledge, head of conservation services at the Bat Conservation Foundation.

Now bat experts from both Russia and the UK are collaborating to learn more about the ‘Olympic’ saga. The expansion of the range of bats “Pipistrellus nathusii” is linked to climate change and researchers are gathering information to better understand its impact on the animals.