Help a baby bat learn how to fly
Donation protected
Just as baby humans must learn how to walk, baby bats must learn how to fly.
Scotland is home to nine species of bat and all of them are under threat. Every year, volunteers all around Scotland, under the guidance and support of the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT), rehabilitate and return to nature, hundreds of bats who have found themselves in a spot of bother. Many of these casualties are infant or juvenile bats.
An essential piece of equipment for rearing baby and juvenile bats is a flight cage. This is an enclosed structure – similar to an aviary – where young bats can be housed and where they can safely practice their flying skills and build the strength and endurance they will need to survive in the wild. Studies have found that baby bats who had access to a flight cage had a much better chance at long term survival in the wild (Kelly et al, 2008).
Currently, there are no flight cages available in Aberdeenshire. This means that many infant and juvenile bats are put to sleep, as we do not have the proper facilities to prepare them for a life in the wild. We at The Bat Bothy and NESBATS (the North East Scotland Bats group) want to change that.
The Bat Bothy will be the first facility of its kind in Aberdeenshire. We aim to provide carers with a purpose-built facility in which young bats can be fully rehabilitated and made ready for release back into nature.
Here at The Bat Bothy, we have big plans for bat conservation - from supporting our bat care volunteers, to education, and providing a sanctuary to bats in need. But we need your help! Any support you can give will make a difference. In return, we will include you in regular updates about our bat adventures and you will be playing a vital role in the support of our native bat species.
BLE photo: (c) Hugh Clark/www.bats.org.uk
Some of our success - Little Pie
The first bat I rescued was a little female pipistrelle. We never got the full story of why she came to need help, as she was handed into a vet with no information. Physically she seemed fine, but like most of the bats that I have cared for, she was very underweight. Lack of sufficient food resources is a problem for all native wildlife, due to the overuse of pesticides and not enough habitat to support the essential insect population.
When she first arrived with me, she was weighed and measured, and then tucked up in a nice warm box on a comfy towel. Bats will not eat or drink if they are too cold. Once she had had time to settle in and warm up, she was given rehydration. She was then offered something to eat – and boy did she eat! She figured out pretty quickly that she just had to sit with her mouth open and food would magically be put into it. That was how she got her name ‘Little Pie’.
After a few days of rest and lots of food, she was successfully released back into her habitat.
Scotland is home to nine species of bat and all of them are under threat. Every year, volunteers all around Scotland, under the guidance and support of the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT), rehabilitate and return to nature, hundreds of bats who have found themselves in a spot of bother. Many of these casualties are infant or juvenile bats.
An essential piece of equipment for rearing baby and juvenile bats is a flight cage. This is an enclosed structure – similar to an aviary – where young bats can be housed and where they can safely practice their flying skills and build the strength and endurance they will need to survive in the wild. Studies have found that baby bats who had access to a flight cage had a much better chance at long term survival in the wild (Kelly et al, 2008).
Currently, there are no flight cages available in Aberdeenshire. This means that many infant and juvenile bats are put to sleep, as we do not have the proper facilities to prepare them for a life in the wild. We at The Bat Bothy and NESBATS (the North East Scotland Bats group) want to change that.
The Bat Bothy will be the first facility of its kind in Aberdeenshire. We aim to provide carers with a purpose-built facility in which young bats can be fully rehabilitated and made ready for release back into nature.
Here at The Bat Bothy, we have big plans for bat conservation - from supporting our bat care volunteers, to education, and providing a sanctuary to bats in need. But we need your help! Any support you can give will make a difference. In return, we will include you in regular updates about our bat adventures and you will be playing a vital role in the support of our native bat species.
BLE photo: (c) Hugh Clark/www.bats.org.uk
Some of our success - Little Pie
The first bat I rescued was a little female pipistrelle. We never got the full story of why she came to need help, as she was handed into a vet with no information. Physically she seemed fine, but like most of the bats that I have cared for, she was very underweight. Lack of sufficient food resources is a problem for all native wildlife, due to the overuse of pesticides and not enough habitat to support the essential insect population.
When she first arrived with me, she was weighed and measured, and then tucked up in a nice warm box on a comfy towel. Bats will not eat or drink if they are too cold. Once she had had time to settle in and warm up, she was given rehydration. She was then offered something to eat – and boy did she eat! She figured out pretty quickly that she just had to sit with her mouth open and food would magically be put into it. That was how she got her name ‘Little Pie’.
After a few days of rest and lots of food, she was successfully released back into her habitat.
Organizer
Dee Lawlor
Organizer
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