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Bats

 WILDLIFE RESCUE SOUTH COAST INC

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ON THIS PAGE

  • About Bats

  • Common Problems

  • How you can Help

  • Warning

ABOUT BATS
There are two main types of bat in Australia, generally referred to as Megabats such as fruit bats (or Flying-foxes) and the much smaller insect-eating Microbats.

MEGABAT PROBLEMS

With the Megabats the most common problem we have in this area are entanglements in barbed wire and netting over fruit trees.

In both cases the bats can suffer serious damage to their wing membrane. Often the damage is not immediately obvious to a casual observer, but the signs of bruising, which can have fatal consequences if not treated, can be seen by an experienced wildlife carer.

WARNING

You must never handle bats unless you are an experienced and vaccinated wildlife carer. A small percentage of bats are known to carry a disease known as Australian Bat Lyssa Virus. This can be passed on to humans through biting or scratching.
If you are scratched or bitten by a bat, you should seek medical attention without delay, and ask for post Lyssa Virus exposure treatment, just to be safe.

MEGABATS

HOW TO HELP

MICROBAT PROBLEMS

These are the large flying foxes (sometimes called fruit-bats) such as the Grey-headed,  Flying fox, the most common in our area. These bats mostly eat the blossom from native eucalypt trees, and the fruit from native plants such as the fig and lilly-pilly. However, when there is little native food around they will often look at exotic fruit trees like plums. This is where they can get into trouble, especially when the trees have been poorly netted. (See our information page on bat entanglement)

 

MICROBATS

  • If your property has barbed wire, reconsider whether it is really necessary. Many animals are trapped needlessly on barbed wire, and there are often wildlife-friendly alternatives. For more information see www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com.

  • When netting fruit tree, make sure you do so properly by stretching the netting over a frame. Most entanglements are due to loosely fitting netting.

  • Avoid using monofilament netting or thin black netting which is harder to see.

MICROBATS come into care for a variety of reasons, such as:

  • They have been disturbed while in torpor (like a mini-hibernation)

  • Their roosting place has been disturbed or destroyed

  • They have been caught by a cat

  • They have been caught in a strong spider web, or

  • They have flown into someone's house while chasing insects

These are also sometimes referred to as insectivorous bats. They can be quite small - sometimes only 5 grams for an adult!  They eat mostly small insects such as mosquitoes.

 For more information on the problems associated with bat entanglement, please see our fact sheet page - click here!

As with megabats, you should not try to handle these bats yourself, but call a wildlife organisation such as Wildlife Rescue South Coast. 

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Updated July 2011

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 Australian Fauna Care

 Rescue Hotline 0418 427 214   (Kiama to Batemans Bay)
 Rescue Hotline 0417 238 921  (Mogo  to Victorian Border)

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