This is just some of what the Australian Bat Clinic does to care for orphaned baby bats: feeding, grooming, attending to their medical needs, and making them feel warm and safe by wrapping them like a ridiculously cute baby bat burrito. From Wakaleo:
When a bat mother dies, often their young are still attached and will not survive without the right care. Bat carers play a vital role in not only retrieving suffering bats, but rehabilitating them until they can be released back into the wild. When baby bats first enter rehabilitation it can be traumatising for them as they have just been separated from their mothers to which they have formed strong bonds. Bat carers have to ensure that the baby bats not only are well fed, but that they are nurtured and feel safe in their temporary new home. Providing affection the bats is a necessity.
The teats represent their mother’s nipple, and this makes them feel more comfortable, as does the security of the blankets which they are often snuggly wrapped in.
When the bats grow old enough, they’re returned to nature so that they can contribute to Australia’s embattled flying fox habitats. In this 2013 video, we can see how these babies flourish as they reach maturity, soon to be transitioned into soft release exhibits before returning to the wild:
If you find a bat, contact a local bat rescuer. For their safety and yours, bats should not be handled by anyone other than a trained bat caregiver.
Related watching: more bat videos, including how volunteers hand-raised an orphaned short-tailed fruit bat.
via Buzzfeed.
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