Large colony of rare bats spotted in Troodos cave

A large colony of rare bats has been discovered in Troodos cave, the Forestry Department said on Monday.

In a post on Facebook, the department said the discovery of the Rhinolophus Euryale bats in Troodos’ national forest park during the winter season “sends optimistic messages regarding the survival of the specific species on our island”.

At the same time, it said, this confirms the importance of the Troodos national forest park as a place for hibernation of various species of bat and the need to protect these habitats.

The Mediterranean horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus euryale ) is “one of the rarest cave-dwelling bat species in Europe and one of the rarest species in Cyprus”.

Its population is greatly affected by disturbance and loss of habitat, the department said.

These fluffy bats feed in forest and rural landscapes, mainly hunting moths.

Due to its specialised flight, it can hunt in dense forest vegetation and is an important indicator of ecological quality.

The species is classified as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is strictly protected by an EU directive.