Baby Brown Long Eared Bat

Here is news of a one week old Brown Long Eared Bat who was rescued in Somerset. It is assumed that she had been dropped by her mother. I found her picture irresistible and thought it unkind of the rescue workers to name her Cruella. Story here:

www.dailymail.co.uk...

Debbie O'Keefe, of Secret World, said: 'The biggest challenge is getting her to self feed and keep muscle condition to sustain flight for long periods of time.'
Cruella is predicted to be flying within four weeks and could be released by the end of the summer.

There is another equally sweet photo of her in the article.

Probably all you need to know about Brown Long Eared Bats at this BBC site:
www.bbc.co.uk...


[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/aa6dfe92f285.jpg[/atsimg]

The above picture of an adult Brown Long Eared Bat comes from this site. The adult bat doesn't look a great deal bigger than Cruella:
www.marcthevet.com...

To my great joy, a couple of bats flit round my garden just as it is getting dark. They drive my dog bonkers - he's usually indoors by that time sleeping off a hard day's playing, but he can still find some energy to pounce up and down barking at the bats.

They're far too fast for me to get a good look at them to ascertain which species they are, but I think their wing-span would be slightly longer than my hand.



[edit on 31-7-2010 by berenike]

Awwwwwwe! I love bats! I live in Northern California, here we have the California Brown Bat. I caught one once with a butterfly net. It had gotten into my mother's house and she was freaking out. I carefully put it in a jar so the kids could see it up close. They are SOOOO cute! I then let it go in my backyard.

You could probably find out the species of your bats just by looking up what kind are prevalent in your area. They always come out at dusk to feed. I call that time "The bat show" because I love to sit outside and watch them fly around. They are amazing creatures and they eat LOTS of bugs.

When I lived in northern Wisconsin, we would see bats nearly every evening before sunset in the summer time.

I had no problem with them, seeing as how they feed off of insects that spread disease, but, they are also known to carry rabies.

I didn't give it much thought, even after being dive bombed by them on may occasions............until, I found one behind the door of my daughters bedroom.

Suffice it to say, this one never saw the light of day, again. We could not catch it to release it, once we got it out of the spot it was hanging, without killing it!

What a cutie!
Unfortunately Alberta Fish and Wildlife (a secretive department of the government run by complete idiots) has made bat rescue and rehabilitation illegal here. However, as White Nose Bat Syndrome arrives here I'm certain that will change.

Kudos to those who choose to help the less appreciated yet just as important creatures of this world.