Some feathers are ruffled in New Zealand after the country announced the winner of it’s ‘Bird of the Year’ award, the pekapeka-tou-roa, otherwise known as the long-tailed bat. It’s the first non-bird to win the award, which is decided by online voting. This year’s poll pulled in 58k votes, the most in the 16-year history of the contest.
Organizers say the bat’s inclusion in the voting was part of a campaign to promote the critically endangered animal. The results are still drawing criticism, and it’s not the first time; in 2019 voters accused the polls of being rigged, and suspected Russian meddling in the voting.
Source: New York Post
