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Long tailed bat female Colin ODonnell DOC

The pekapeka – New Zealand's 2021 Bird of the Year – calls Geraldine in Canterbury home

Our native bats are pretty special – they're New Zealand's only native land mammal.  

There are two kinds – the long-tailed and the short-tailed. Their numbers have been declining due to predators and loss of habitat.

In Mid-Canterbury, the team at forestry company Port Blakely is working alongside the local community to take care of the bats, helping get rid of the predators and protect the areas where they live. They take special care when harvesting to ensure the work they do doesn't impact on the bats.

In 2021 the pekapeka won the public vote for New Zealand's Bird of the Year.

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