Monday 13 October 2008

Releasing bats, again.

I’d collected a bat from a school. It had apparently flown into an office and was picked up and put into a box with some shredded paper. By the time I arrived the milk bottle top in the box had been spilt and the bat was soaked. Taking out one very bedraggled and sorry looking bat I showed all of the staff how small bats really are.

I was on my way back home with the kids so they all came in to help. Having seen plenty of bats before they were not phased by any of it. When we got the bat home I had another look at him and checked him out in more detail to make sure there was not damage. Because he was soaked and looked very small I did not have too much hope for him but we dried him off and put him into a larger box with space to hang and fresh water. A little later I took him out and the kids helped me feed him mealworms. They helped by chopping off the head and gently rubbing the mealworm around the bats mouth so that it got the taste and smell.

Sure enough in a few minutes we had him eating mealworms. Over the next day or so he began to take meal worms from a bowl that we just topped up a couple of times a day. Within a few days he was eating happily and had put enough weight on to allow him to be released. With the kids we went to the school and stood on the grass outside one evening when the weather was good, and the forecast wasn’t for rain for a couple of days. A miracle in that part of September! With gloves on the kids held the bat and warmed him up, feeling him begin to shiver and warm him self up. After about ten minutes Rose said that he was getting very wriggly. I told her to open her hand more and let him crawl up the glove to the edge of her hand. To everyone’s delight he spread his wings and dropped off her hand, flying off. He flew around in circles for a few minutes and then he was off.

The kids really enjoy telling their friends about helping the bats. Not everyday in most peoples households! All good publicity for bats and bat conservation.

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