Zoo makes 'difficult decision' to rehome bats

Jersey Zoo has made the difficult decision to rehome its Livingstone fruit bat colony

Jersey Zoo has made the "difficult decision" to rehome its Livingstone fruit bats.

The owners of the zoo, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said they were looking for new homes for its colony of bats after weighing up the benefits of repairing the Bat Tunnel.

The trust said the cost of rebuilding the Bat Tunnel would be "at least seven figures".

Curator of mammals at the trust, Ben Matthews, said the zoo would also need to raise funds, design the new exhibit, get planning permission and build the space, all of which would take "significant time".

The zoo said its main focus was to always ensure the welfare of its animals

He said: "Sadly we have now made the incredibly difficult decision to find our colony of bats new homes.

"We have weighed up the benefits of repairing the tunnel against creating a new exhibit which is the better option."

He said the focus was to always ensure the best welfare for its animals and finding new homes for the once critically endangered species of bats would take many months.

In April keepers had to move 70 bats in one day into smaller groups across the site following an outbreak of Pasteurella in the colony.

"Thanks to the swift action and dedication of our team we were able to minimise the loss we faced when the colony sadly got infected but this could have been a different story," Mr Matthews said.

"Since April the bats have been living in temporary accommodation... the Pasteurella is contained and we've now welcomed several new bat pups."

Dave Houston, associate veterinary officer at the zoo, said following the outbreak they had developed a world-first vaccine for the use of fruit bats.

Mr Houston said: "We are currently trialling the vaccine on a small number of individuals prior to the colony-wide roll-out.

"The plan has always been to have the vaccine made available to other fruit bats across the wider zoo community so that the knowledge that we have gained and the work that we have done here at Jersey Zoo can be used to help protect even more fruit bats from this disease."

He said rehoming the colony of bats was the "right thing to do" to continue conservation of the species globally.

'Incredibly sad'

Mammal keeper Nicola Shaw, who has been a keeper at the zoo for four years, said she worked with the bats daily.

She said: "I will be incredibly sad to see our bats go, I care for all of them deeply but I know that it is the right decision for them.

"My focus is on ensuring that we continue to provide the very best care for them over the coming months while we look for their new homes.

"We will continue to update our husbandry guidelines to ensure the new holders are fully informed on the best possible way to look after them."

Mr Matthews added: "If and when the opportunity arises in the future, we would love to welcome bats back to Jersey Zoo."