Rescue Case Study

Day 1: When I arrived to collect Emily, her eyes were closed, she was pink, hairless, weighed 2g and was just 28mm long (that's mm not cm!) . She was given a name as it was easier than saying 'bat number 4 from St. Osyth'. Emily was a little cold, but very squeaky and perky for one so young.

I placed her on a snuggly blanket in a box, with a heat pad to warm her up. Baby bats rely on their mothers to keep them warm. As they get older they are left in 'creches' with other babies, in a very warm roost, while the mothers go out to feed. Once toasty warm, Emily was rehydrated and given a special recipe bat milk replacement from a tiny needle-less syringe.

Day 3: Emily's eyes opened and she was starting to develop a 'fuzzy peach' style fur. This is when I first noticed a slightly spicy aroma and guessed she was a soprano (55kHz) pipistrelle. In contrast, the common (45kHz) pipistrelle is almost odourless.

The days flew past and Emily put her efforts into snuggling in her warm sock, squeaking and greedily slurping her milk.

Day 18: By now, Emily was full of energy and keen to explore. I observed lots of wing spreading, muscle stretching and little 'press-ups' (you can see her doing this in the film). She weighed a whopping 4.4g and measured 39mm long.

Day 27: Eating liquidised mealworm and milk 'smoothies' (mmm...) Emily plucked up the courage to take her first flight - or rather flop, as it was a bit undignified and not very successful. Her spicy smell was much stronger now - imagine chicken flavour crisps mixed with baked potatoes!

Day 28: Midnight...Emily makes her first successful flight. A few press-ups, take off and then a perfect circle of the living room, before landing on the settee.

Emily went on to have nightly practice in her secure 'flight tent' and eventually managed to enjoy eating whole mealworms.

Day 49: After a full appraisal, Emily was ready to return to her roost site. With mixed emotions I opened her box. She took a while to vibrate and warm up before scanning her new environment using her echolocation. Then she was off!

On the bat detector, we could hear her clicks and squeaks, and even feeding buzzes when she closed in on her insect dinner. I called her name a few times and to my delight and suprise, Emily came zooming back to do acrobatics over our heads. She then sped off in search of more insects. This flying to and fro was repeated many times and she gave us a fantastic display. Eventually, Emily disappeared over the tree line and it became too dark to see her again.

We left full of joy (and I admit, a little sadness) to have witnessed a poor little orphaned bat having matured into a beautiful and skillful flying adult. I will miss her little chirps and slighly naughty personality, and will always remember her as a very special, and very successful, little bat.

Alison Tew, Newsletter Editor


Rescue: Emily	back to rescue

	Emily was found on the floor of a house in St. Osyth, Essex. Realising that she was just a baby, the owners placed her on a towel in the garden to see if her mother would come back for her. Occasionally this works, and the mother arrives to reclaim her baby. Sadly, despite lots of interested bats flying around her, Emily was left an orphan. This is the story of Emily being hand-reared and released. It is just one of the success stories from Essex Bat Group carers.

Day 1: When I arrived to collect Emily, her eyes were closed, she was pink, hairless, weighed 2g and was just 28mm long (that's mm not cm!) . She was given a name as it was easier than saying 'bat number 4 from St. Osyth'. Emily was a little cold, but very squeaky and perky for one so young. I placed her on a snuggly blanket in a box, with a heat pad to warm her up. Baby bats rely on their mothers to keep them warm. As they get older they are left in 'creches' with other babies, in a very warm roost, while the mothers go out to feed. Once toasty warm, Emily was rehydrated and given a special recipe bat milk replacement from a tiny needle-less syringe. Day 3: Emily's eyes opened and she was starting to develop a 'fuzzy peach' style fur. This is when I first noticed a slightly spicy aroma and guessed she was a soprano (55kHz) pipistrelle. In contrast, the common (45kHz) pipistrelle is almost odourless. The days flew past and Emily put her efforts into snuggling in her warm sock, squeaking and greedily slurping her milk. Day 18: By now, Emily was full of energy and keen to explore. I observed lots of wing spreading, muscle stretching and little 'press-ups' (you can see her doing this in the film). She weighed a whopping 4.4g and measured 39mm long. Day 27: Eating liquidised mealworm and milk 'smoothies' (mmm...) Emily plucked up the courage to take her first flight - or rather flop, as it was a bit undignified and not very successful. Her spicy smell was much stronger now - imagine chicken flavour crisps mixed with baked potatoes! Day 28: Midnight...Emily makes her first successful flight. A few press-ups, take off and then a perfect circle of the living room, before landing on the settee. Emily went on to have nightly practice in her secure 'flight tent' and eventually managed to enjoy eating whole mealworms. Day 49: After a full appraisal, Emily was ready to return to her roost site. With mixed emotions I opened her box. She took a while to vibrate and warm up before scanning her new environment using her echolocation. Then she was off! On the bat detector, we could hear her clicks and squeaks, and even feeding buzzes when she closed in on her insect dinner. I called her name a few times and to my delight and suprise, Emily came zooming back to do acrobatics over our heads. She then sped off in search of more insects. This flying to and fro was repeated many times and she gave us a fantastic display. Eventually, Emily disappeared over the tree line and it became too dark to see her again. We left full of joy (and I admit, a little sadness) to have witnessed a poor little orphaned bat having matured into a beautiful and skillful flying adult. I will miss her little chirps and slighly naughty personality, and will always remember her as a very special, and very successful, little bat. Alison Tew, Newsletter Editor