Checking for bats before starting the chainsaws was all part of a day's work for Department of Conservation rangers felling dangerous trees at Clements Mill Rd in the Kaimanawa recently.
When rangers reported the large beech trees were at risk of falling around a campsite, senior biodiversity ranger Sarah Tunnicliffe advised they may be roost sites for a threatened bat species.
"Both long-tailed and short-tailed pekapeka (bats) are found in the area and like to roost in big old-growth trees like those coming down. We just couldn't risk dropping a tree while they were in it."
![Chainsaw guru ranger Ray Packer reviews a job well done. Photo / DoC](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/QG4L6P7ZOJILS5KH7KEWZGDVEA.jpg?auth=d2d61e8f9272145566f089fe65baa8e3ee7d06c3184c8f71ce99c3b45f9ae60f&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
The popular camping area was cordoned off with signs to keep people safe.