With Only 20 Left, Australian Bat Could Be Extinct Within Weeks

The inch-long Christmas Island pipistrelle, which weighs about a tenth of an ounce, could become the first Australian mammal to become extinct since the Tasmanian tiger in 1930.

After years of unrequited calls to help the animal, conservationists have asked the government to begin an emergency breeding program for the tiny bat. Environment Minister responded by announcing breeding trials for a similar yet non-threatened population elsewhere to test the viability of breeding the pipistrelle.

Conservationists fear that it may be too little, too late.

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“Time is running out fast,” said Terry Reardon, former president of the Australasian Bat Society. “This month, next month, there will be nothing left to save. The pipistrelle is going to crash. I’d have thought it would be a bit embarrassing for a government to stand by and have an animal [become] extinct.”

The biggest challenge in saving the animal is determining the cause of its demise. Currently it’s anyone’s guess, but biologists believe either non-native predators or an unknown disease is responsible. Reardon estimated that it would cost the government $6 million to attempt a breeding program for the animals.

Photo Credit: Stevie-B on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

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