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A rare species of bat has been discovered in London for the first time in over 50 years.

The Barbastelle bat, which has already disappeared from some countries, was discovered in Hainault Forest Country Park.

Static bat detectors set-up in the Old Farm Buildings detected the creature which is entirely absent from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A sonagraph sound spectrum recorded evidence of the bat’s return to the capital. No verified records of the Barbastelle bat have been noted from the Greater London area since the late 1950s.

The bat is protected under the European Habitats Directive. Their rarity means that woodlands containing the bat species may be considered as a site of special scientific interest in Greater London.

Currently Natural England provide funding to monitor the presence of Barbastelles.

Claire Howe, mammal specialist at Natural England, said: “It’s fabulous to see barbastelles recorded in London again. This demonstrates that with positive habitat management, our protected sites can give a home to species we had thought previously lost from the capital.”

Ecologist Huma Pearce added: “With a focus on the built environment, natural habitats within cities are too often over-looked.

“Records like this give merit to the value of London’s woodlands as important wildlife refuges that must be preserved.”

Redbridge is one of London’s greenest Boroughs with nine parks retaining their Green Flag Awards, recognising the very best parks in the country.

Barbastelles have dark brown or black, long, silky fur with white tips. They mate in autumn, with one sexually active male attended by up to six females some accompanied by their young.

The species tends to make its home in the crevices of old trees in mature forests. Its breeding roosts are only found in a handful of locations.

They hibernate over the winter usually underground, and give birth to a single young bat in late spring.

Hainault Forest Country Park’s ‘Ancient Forest’ project was recently awarded £4.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with an extra £1.25 million from the council and £250,000 from Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure.

Redbridge Council cabinet Member for civic Sheila Bain said: “Hainault Forest is such an important site for the residents of Redbridge.

“Our project to ensure the sustainability of the Forest, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, has already helped us to identify this unusual species of bat, and shows the importance of preserving this ancient forest and its wildlife for the future generations of London.”