Diagnostiquer un problème de santé dans une colonie de Chiroptères : exemple d’une mortalité atypique de Petit Molosse de La Réunion, Mormopterus francoismoutoui Goodman, Jansen Van Vuuren, Ratrimomanarico, Probst & Bowie, 2008

Chiropteran diseases are poorly documented and their role in bat population decline is probably insufficiently considered. In this context, it is essential to have an early and multidisciplinary detection system for bat mortality. The SMAC network constitutes one of these surveillance tools and has been in effect since 2014 in France and since 2018 on Reunion Island. In January 2023, this network recorded an abnormal mortality of Reunion Free-tailed bats. Emergency investigations were initiated in order to quickly establish a diagnosis, assess the risks for bats and human populations and inform public decision-making regarding the management of this event. These investigations did not allow to conclude with certainty about the causes of this mortality but point to environmental stress. This example clearly illustrates the difficulties when investigating free-ranging wildlife.