He needed help 😰
Late last month, a homeowner in Tasmania, Australia, noticed something sticking out of a pile of netting in their backyard. When they went to investigate further, they realized there was a little bat tangled up in the pile, unable to free himself.
“[S]ometimes, [bats] will become entangled in netting if they land on it to rest or eat and get their wings or limbs stuck,” Maya Risberg, administrator at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary told The Dodo. “Sometimes, the more an animal battles to free itself from netting, the worse the entanglement becomes.”
If you come across a wild animal in need of help, especially a bat, it’s always a good idea to call a wildlife rescue organization and let the experts handle it — for your safety as well as the animal’s. That’s exactly what this homeowner did, and before long, a rescuer named Ned from Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary arrived.
Ned, who preferred to have his last name omitted, transported the bat to Bonorong’s wildlife hospital. There, the bat’s medical team removed the netting as carefully as possible to avoid any injuries.
As soon as he was freed, the bat, whom his care team named Ziggy, was doing better than expected.
“A thorough examination under anaesthetic revealed that he had fortunately escaped without significant trauma — a very lucky escape,” Risberg said.
While some animals who struggle to escape entanglements end up struggling with a serious condition called myopathy, thankfully for Ziggy, his medical concerns were not serious.
“He was dehydrated and thoroughly exhausted from the ordeal,” Risberg said.
Once Ziggy had been rehydrated and stabilized, he was sent to stay with Julie Houston, a licensed bat rehabilitator.
“After a week of TLC … he gained weight and flight fitness, and [was] deemed fit for release,” Houston wrote on Facebook.
Often misunderstood as scary, bats play a key role in ecosystems all over the world. They function as pollinators, seed distributors as well as insect control.
As soon as Ziggy was feeling all better, Houston released him back into his hunting grounds, where he can now fly freely and stretch his wings.