Bat that flew 2000km from UK to Russia is killed by a cat

A tiny Nathusius pipistrelle bat, which weighs only 8 grams, flew 2000km from the UK to Russia only to be killed by a cat. Photo / Getty

A bat made the longest recorded migration flight from Britain, only to be killed by a cat when it arrived in Russia.

The nathusius' pipistrelle, which weighed just 8g, had made a journey of 2000km. It was found on July 30 in the small village of Molgino in the Pskov region of Russia by local woman Svetlana Lapina but had been injured by a cat and died despite the best efforts of a bat rehabilitation group.

A "London Zoo" tag was attached to the bat's arm. It had been ringed in 2016 at Bedfont Lakes Country Park near Heathrow.

Some nathusius' pipistrelle bats are thought to migrate to Britain from eastern to western Europe for winter, but in general little is known about the species' migratory patterns.

The journey is the longest ever recorded migration made from the UK and is likely to be one of the longest bat migrations ever undertaken globally, though in other parts of the world species often travel more than 965km.

The lesser long-nosed bat has a long migration between Mexico and the south-western United States, while the Africa straw-coloured fruit bat migrates at least 1500km.

The discovery was reported to the National Nathusius' Pipistrelle Project, run by the Bat Conservation Trust, which is seeking to better understand the species' migration habits. It is migrating across a growing range, which is thought to be linked to climate change. Scientists hope better understanding of its migration will help position wind farms to reduce the threat from turbines.

Launched in 2014, the project has since recorded more than 2600 nathusius' pipistrelles in the UK.

Lisa Worledge, head of conservation services at the Bat Conservation Trust, said: "This is a remarkable journey and the longest one we know of any bat from Britain across Europe. What an Olympian!

"Her journey is an exciting scientific finding and another piece in the puzzle of bat migration. The movements of nathusius' pipistrelles around the UK and between the UK and the continent remain largely mysterious.

"Projects pioneered by citizen scientists have helped to shed light on the migration pattern of these winged wonders."

There have been more than 2600 Nathusius' pipistrelles recorded in the UK since the national Nathusius' pipistrelle project launched in 2014 to shed light on their breeding, distribution and migration behaviours.