Volunteers of Friends of Free Wildlife (FOFW) have taken on the responsibility to care for baby bats, who have been separated from their parent, and give them the opportunity to return to the wild.
Bats nurture their babies, called pups, the same as other mammals. Bat pups attach themselves to their mother’s fur when they fly. Extreme weather conditions can part the pup from its mother or even destroy their roost. These pups are then brought in to be hand-raised.
The most common bat in Gauteng is the Cape Serotine and the larger Yellow House Bat but you may occasionally find an Egyptian Free Tail bat. Bat pups are bottle fed with kitten milk formula every two to three hours, which means the FOFW ‘bat mothers’ have to take the pups wherever they go.
Similar to how a human baby needs a diaper bag, bat pups need to travel with heating pads, milk bottles, paper towels and bat boxes.The pups are first fed from tiny lids and are weaned onto mealworms. When they can pick up a mealworm from a dish and eat it, they are ready to start to fly.
A flight tunnel made of net was set up in the carport of FOFW member, ‘bat mother’ and resident of Wilgeheuwel, Peggy-Ann Mist. “The FOFW bat mothers brought their bats to me as they became ready and 45 bats have been released via the tunnel this year. The bats hang in towels inside the tunnel which has water and mealworms, and at night you can watch them exercising their wings and practising short flights,” Mist said.
The bat pups stay in the tunnel for five to seven days while they become accustomed to the smells and sounds of their new environment. On a clear, warm night the tunnel is opened and the bats are free to fly out. The tunnel is kept open for a few days so the bats are able to return for food if they were unable to catch enough food for themselves.
“Bats are a really important part of our environment because they eat insects and pollinate plants. A healthy adult Cape Serotine bat can eat up to 2 000 insects in one night. Imagine our summer nights if they weren’t there,” Mist added.
Details: Head of Friends of Free Wildlife Margi Brocklehurst, 082 561 3681.
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