Thursday 25 July 2019

Downed Bat


On Tuesday, in the heatwave, Simon went outside to hang washing on the line and discovered what he thought was a dead bat by the terrace. I was about to head off to the supermarket, but thought I'd better take some photos of the bat for the record and bag it up for the bat guys to collect later (yes, you need to put them in the freezer...)

Happily, it turned out the bat was not dead! Dehydration is usually the reason bats end up stuck on the ground, so I offered it a drink. I was pleased to see (and hear) it lap up the water eagerly. Once it was refusing more water I gathered it up and put it in the relative cool of the garage. A Facebook friend suggested getting rescued bats to cling on to a blanket or towel and hanging it at a couple of metres off the ground so the bat can easily take off when it feels recovered. If you have to rescue a bat always wear gloves when handling them, as they can carry rabies and related viruses. Restrict speaking to the bare necessities, as bats, like all wild animals, find the human very frightening. A downed bat is profoundly stressed, so you must work quickly, gently and quietly.

My bat expert friend Virginie confirms that the bat is a Serotine Eptesicus serotinus. It's a large species (for France, which only has micro-bats), inhabiting lowland parks, gardens, and open country on the edges of towns. They live in association with people, very often choosing attics to roost. They are timid creatures though, and usually don't cope well with disturbance. During the active period, from March to October, they hunt beetles and moths on the wing, circling gardens, copses  or street lights.

During hot weather it is a nice gesture if gardners can put out shallow water bowls for the use of birds, bees and bats. Make sure there are some pebbles in the saucer to allow easier access and prevent drowning. Set the dishes somewhere that will be relatively safe from cats, with a bit of height for ease of take off.

Remember that bats are completely protected in France, and it is illegal to handle them (except in emergencies such as we encountered).

7 comments:

Ken Broadhurst said...

Very interesting. I remember a summer some years ago when we found a dehydrated or heat-stricken bat in our wood-burning stove. The stove was cold of course. We got him out and tended to him until he flew away.

Ken Broadhurst said...

Here's a link to my 2010 post about that bat. I got and did some things right and some wrong, probably.

Le Pré de la Forge said...

"During the active period, from March to October, they hunt beetles and moths on the wing, circling gardens, copses or street lights."
...
AND mothtraps... you should see the droppings!

Susan said...

I remember that bat and the story.

Susan said...

The little blighters!

Unknown said...

Lovely! I think your straw was a great idea. A few weeks ago a young man died of rabies here. The investigation found that a bat had flown into his hand, brushed his hand, in broad daylight at the side of a highway. He felt no scratch or bite. Six weeks later he developed mysterious symptoms the docs had trouble diagnosing, but finally it was found that he had rabies.
Jocelyn

Susan said...

How dreadful for the young man and his family -- what a stroke of bad luck! No one has died from rabies in France for decades, but a couple of years ago a stray kitten was found to have done so.

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