Is anybody else a fan of bat rescue in Australia?

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
OK, this may seem a little odd, but one of my lockdown-acquired obsessions are a few channels on YouTube where some amazing Aussie ladies rescue flying foxes (bats).

I'm particularly a fan of Walter, a 28 year old bat with a mega personality. Also a lady who zips around rescuing adults and babies.

Can I go to Australia and visit Walter and feed some bat babies, please?

One of Walter's many videos. He can't fly anymore, so his carer gives him a helping hand.

This is one of the many rescued babies. Miss Fussbudget is now nearly grown and released into a colony. She was recently spotted giving a possum what for about trying to take her fruit so clearly doing well out in the world.

 
Bats are cool and need a lot of help...they are suffering from habitat destruction. I’m a member of a local group that does wildlife rescue, including bats, though I do absolutely nothing but donate money. One day when I’ve got time I’ll make more of a contribution. Apparently it is really important for baby bats to bond with their carers (whether bat or human) so they learn to be part of a social group, so they need to be talked to and cuddled a lot.
 

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Apparently it is really important for baby bats to bond with their carers (whether bat or human) so they learn to be part of a social group, so they need to be talked to and cuddled a lot.
Yes, the carers really do a lot of work with them, a lot of interaction. Plus it's important that the socialise with other bats their age.
 

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Sounds like it’s not a dream for Aussie Emily 😄
Maybe it's the wings or the hanging upside down bit. When I first started watching the videos, the wings freaked me out, but now I think they are beautiful.

Watching all the work that goes into the rescue has really made me change my mind about bats. A had a boyfriend eons ago who told me that bats liked to fly into long hair and get tangled up. Completely ridiculous (why would a bat WANT to become trapped in someone's hair?) but it stuck with me. Every time I'd see a bat, I was afraid it would get in my hair!

Now I'd just like to go give Walter some grapes and have a battie chat. If they'd like to hang out in my hair, they are welcome. 😂
 

Beanwood

Administrator
We have bats here at the cottage. I don’t know where they live but the zoom around silently in the evenings. I find them mesmerising. I have a friend involved here in the UK in a bat rescue, based in the southwest. Maybe we can organise a visit next time you are around, not quite on the scale of their Australian cousins but still uber cute! :batsmile::batsmile:
 
We have bats here at the cottage. I don’t know where they live but the zoom around silently in the evenings. I find them mesmerising. I have a friend involved here in the UK in a bat rescue, based in the southwest. Maybe we can organise a visit next time you are around, not quite on the scale of their Australian cousins but still uber cute! :batsmile::batsmile:
When young I could hear the bats squeaking as they flew about my garden - can't hear them now :sad:
 
  • Like
Reactions: HAH

Lab_adore

Moderator
Staff member
We have hundreds of bats that fly from the big nature park opposite us to wherever they hang out at night every day at dusk. The sky is full of them. Sadly many fly directly over our house so the pool area and decks get covered in bat poo. Maxx is delighted by this.

The hilarious thing is a few years ago our wonderful local council decided to re-home them to the Royal National Park about 5km away. It cost a fortune to catch them and move them. A few months later they were back. Good use of my taxes :hmm:
 

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
The hilarious thing is a few years ago our wonderful local council decided to re-home them to the Royal National Park about 5km away. It cost a fortune to catch them and move them. A few months later they were back. Good use of my taxes :hmm:
Yes, and apparently a lot of bats and especially babies died in the move. Pretty stupid and sad all around. 😟
 

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Walter is huge! The bats in my garden aren’t as big as that! It’s lovely to see them flying.
Walter is a flying fox, part of the "megabat" subspecies. The same lady who rescues flying foxes does microbats occasionally, which may be what you have in your garden? I still find those a bit scary as they have big teeth and don't have the cute dog-like faces. Maybe they will grow on me!
 
Top