New bat species discovered in Lucerne
Keystone-SDA
The Alpine bat has been detected in Lucerne for the first time. The species, previously unknown in canton Lucerne, is increasingly spreading northwards and has now been discovered as part of a participatory project.
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In the “Stadt Wild Tiere” Lucerne project, 140 volunteers recorded around 25,000 bat calls at 120 locations between May and August 2025. Experts analysed the recordings and were able to identify ten bat species, including the Alpine bat as a surprising new find, the city of Lucerne announced on Monday.
According to the statement, the Alpine bat has so far mainly been found in Ticino and Valais, but is increasingly being observed in more northerly regions. “It was not known that it had already arrived in Lucerne,” the press release stated.
Last week, the Basel authorities announced that an Alpine bat had appeared in the city of Basel for the first time. The animal was found injured near the main train station.
In addition to the Alpine bat, six species with “national priority” have been identified in the city of Lucerne, including mosquito bats, long-eared bats and bicoloured bats. The detection of light-sensitive species such as the greater water bat was also particularly pleasing. This is an indication of the effect of the city’s measures against light pollution, according to the authority.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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