‘Bats on the move: Discovery of the White-striped Freetail Bat in Lutruwita / Tasmania’

Dr Lisa Cawthen is a freelance ecologist based in Lutruwita / Tasmania, specialising in bats. Her work focuses on supporting land managers, communities and industry to better understand the natural values in their areas, the threats they face, and ways to reduce impacts. Lisa also supports others to survey bats through her work as a bat ecologist / trainer with the team at Faunatech.

This talk explores bats on the move and what this means for people and wildlife. Using the discovery of the White-striped Freetail Bat in Lutruwita / Tasmania as a case study, Lisa will share the story of how the species was discovered and explore the evidence behind three possibilities: was it an overlooked resident, a vagrant, or a climate change refugee? She’ll highlight the value of bat monitoring and community education, and explore the challenges that a new bat species can bring to an island.

This webinars donations will go towards Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, a Lutruwita / Tasmania based organisation who run a 24/7 Wildlife Rescue Hotline and Wildlife Hospital, helping care for and educate the community about bats and other wildlife. To find out more about Bonorong and their work visit - https://www.bonorong.com.au/wildlife-rescue/