JPG Magazine: Stories: Photo Essay: Bat S.O.S.

Bat S.O.S.

By Karen Zimmerman

29 March 2008

This hoary bat was hanging on the shade cloth over our cactus nursery for two days. I found a woman who rehabilitate bats in trouble and she agreed to look at him. The catch was, I had to bring him to her. Yikes! I love bats, but I was really nervous that I might hurt him, or, honestly, that he would bite me.

I donned two pairs of thick suede gloves (brave, huh?), a soft cloth, and a box. I gently encircled him with the cloth, and he started hissing and baring all his tiny teeth at me! I got him detached, and put him in the box. I admit I was shaken, and relieved that we'd survived our first interaction.

I drove him to Diana's house. She was pleased not only that he a hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), which she says is a wonderful species, but that he wasn't mangled. Many she sees are ripped up by crows and scrub jays. Hoary bats are tree dwellers, and vulnerable to bird attacks.

Diana examined him to make sure he didn't have broken bones or other visible injuries. His only symptom of distress was dehydration, so she kept him overnight to observe and feed him. Later, she called to say that he was eating well, and if she didn't re-release him soon, he would become a happy couch potato!

Diana, a bat biologist, told me that bats are as intelligent as cats, and when they realize you aren't going to eat them, they become docile. After a couple of weeks, they may happily sit in your hand. This guy was ready to move in with her after just two feedings!

Diana brought him back the next day. We took him to the area he was found, and as a reward for rescuing him; I got the opportunity to photograph him during his last free meal. Oh, the lip smacking delight he took scarfing up those worms! He was much more relaxed, and I could see why she was concerned that he might not want to go out and fend for himself again.

After his meal, we released him onto an oak, where he climbed up the trunk in very cool bat-style. I was enamored! His frost-tipped fur blended perfectly with the bark. After he climbed up into the tree, he promptly fell asleep, to await his dark dawn .

I harbor a suspicion that I may find him on our shade cloth again hoping for another magical ride to the Bat Resort. Who knows?

Other cool facts about bats:

Lifespan average: 8-12 years, though tagged bats have been found as old as 34 years!

Vampire bats are actually very gentle creatures. They will adopt orphan bat babies, and regurgitate food for others in the colony who didn't find food that night. They also only lap up 2 TBSP of blood from a sleeping host.

Mother bats are very nurturing to their offspring.

An insect-eating bat can consume up to 2,000 mosquito-sized insects each night.

Nectar-eating bats are sometimes the only known pollinator of certain species of plants.

Less than 1% of rabies attacks are caused by bats. Whereas rabid dogs and cats tend to become aggressive, bats usually become passive.

Interested in learning more? Here is a link to Bat Conservation International: http://www.batcon.org/home/default.asp