Wildlife enthusiasts thrilled to spot rare bat species at Lower Pierce Reservoir

Straits Times

01-05-2025

The bat, which can be found at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and in Pulau Tekong, is a critically endangered species. PHOTO: JOANNE TOH
SINGAPORE - A rare bat species native to Singapore has been sighted at Lower Pierce Reservoir, delighting wildlife enthusiasts.
Despite being busy dealing with a family emergency, Ms Rovena Chow still made it a point to try and catch a glimpse of the Trefoil Horseshoe Bat on April 23 after her friend, Ms Joanne Toh, told her about its appearance two days earlier.
Ms Chow told The Straits Times that she spotted it at the entrance of the reservoir for about 10 minutes before it flew away.
'I was really happy and I took a video because we don't see this bat often and I was glad to be able to see it in real life,' said the 52-year-old real estate agent, who first heard about the bat's existence two years ago. She later posted her video on the Nature Society Singapore Facebook page.
According to NParks' website, the Trefoil Horseshoe Bat, which can be found at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and in Pulau Tekong, is a critically endangered species.
Besides Singapore, it can also be found in India, Myanmar, Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Java.
A nocturnal animal, it feeds on insects, occupies the under-storey of forests and rests under large leaves.
NParks described it as having long, soft, pale yellowish-brown to greyish-brown fur. Its noseleaf - a specialised skin structure found on the nose of certain bat species - is yellowish, rounded, and horseshoe-shaped at the front.
Ms Toh, who regularly posts photos on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings page, first spotted the bat in 2023. She said she did not realise how rare the species was until she established its identity with the help of her wildlife enthusiast friends.
'It just flew right in front of me and I didn't realise it was a rare breed until I posted a picture of the bat in our wildlife group chat,' said the 56-year-old student care cook, who visits Lower Pierce Reservoir daily after work.
'Since then, I've been keeping a lookout for the bat every time I visit the reservoir and I've seen it four times since.'
Ms Toh spotted it again with her friends, Mr Art Toh and his wife, just last week.
'It is very difficult to spot this species and I was elated that Art, who has been trying to look for this bat for a long time, finally saw it in real life,' she said.
Mr Toh, 69, who dabbles in wildlife photography, told ST that he has photographed other types of bats but the Trefoil Horseshoe bat 'looks very different'.
'It has huge ears and its face looks like a pig. I have never seen something like that,' said the technical officer who works in the construction industry.
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