Become a bat carer
Why are bats found?
Bats are often found in daylight by members of the public. When found in these circumstances, bats are likely to be in difficulty and should always be rescued. A healthy bat would not be found in the open, exposed to sunlight and predators, and would never be found on the ground. Sometimes bats do need to seek temporary refuge, but they will find a safe place to roost away from sight.
Reasons for a bat being grounded:
- The bat may be injured (most commonly by cats and require care from a bat carer and/or a vet.
- It may have become starved and/or dehydrated and will benefit from short-term feeding and rehydration by a bat carer, with a view to re-release it at the location where it was found.
- It may be a baby bat that has been orphaned or temporarily been separated from its mother (see photo below).
Helpline calls
On average, a third of all Helpline calls are regarding injured, grounded or baby bats requiring care. On receiving a call regarding a bat in need of assistance, the Bat Helpline provides advice on the rabies risk, temporary containment of the bat(s) and on any immediate care required. If the caller has been bitten or scratched, we must follow correct protocol in order to maintain our rabies free status in the UK. Advice given by the Helpline will depend on the circumstances the bat is found in, the time of year, and whether it is a baby or an adult. We then locate the nearest bat carers and provide the caller with their contact details so that it can be collected, given the necessary care and re-released at the site it was found.
In areas where there are no bat carers available, we currently have to advise callers to take the bats directly to local vets, and suggest that the vets call us for information if they are not familiar with the treatment of bats. Handling by members of the public should always be kept to an absolute minimum, and they should never assess a bat for injuries.
How the Bat Care Network works
We have a list of bat carers located around the country who have been trained to assist injured, grounded or baby bats found by members of the public. Some are extremely experienced and run bat hospitals, taking in and releasing large numbers of bats each year. Others do small scale bat care and some act as “ambulance drivers” and are able to provide minimal but emergency first aid help, preferring to pass bats on to more experienced carers where necessary. We also have contact details for wildlife hospitals who take in bats on a regular basis, particularly in areas where we have very few bat carers. In addition, we encourage bat carers to build a good working relationship with a local vet for professional advice and treatments.
Bat carers on our list allow us to give out their contact number to callers who live close to them, usually to a maximum of 30 minutes drive away.
Who should look after the bat?
Bat rescue is a specialist area that requires experience and knowledge and should only be carried out by, or in conjunction with, an experienced carer/rehabilitator. This is because, as a carer you will need to be able to:
- identify the species of bat during prognosis (and how this may affect the diagnosis).
- assess the health status of the bat (bats are very small and injuries like bite marks from a cat, broken bones or low weight will not always be obvious).
- make the right care choice for the individual bat because bats are protected species and specific legislation exists in relation to their conservation and care. Anyone caring for a bat must be aware of this legislation and must follow the correct procedures to stay within the law.
I’m interested in becoming a bat carer – how do I get involved?
- Join your local Bat Group.
- Gain experience in bat care with the Bat Group members. Some Bat Groups also run their own bat care courses covering first aid and bat handling.
- Get vaccinated against rabies. As a responsible organisation, we require all carers on our list to be fully vaccinated against rabies. This is because a small number of bats in the UK have been found to carry a rabies type virus. Evidence in the form of a vaccination certificate or doctor’s declaration form must be supplied to us, either by post, email (bayling@bats.org.uk) or fax (0207 820 7198) F.A.O. Bea Ayling. If you wish to receive this form to take to your GP, click the link above or please contact Bea Ayling at the email address above.
- Once you have gained sufficient experience, please contact us to be added to our Bat Care Lists. When new carers are added to the bat care network list, we provide other local carer’s details, which will give them, and the new carer, the opportunity to network with one another, providing support where possible.
Please contact Bea Ayling on the above email address or call the Helpline on 0845 1300 228 for more information.
Training and reference material
At the current time, most of our carers have gained their experience and knowledge through other bat carers and their local Bat Groups. These contacts will be provided after we have received the relevant information about new carers.
The BCT Bat Care Guidelines is a document produced following a bat care, rehabilitation and best practice workshop in 2007. This document can be obtained once you are listed with us as a carer and includes vital information regarding bat care, aimed at new bat carers, vets and wildlife hospitals.
A subscription to the Bat Care Newsletter from Maggie Brown who runs the West Yorkshire Bat Hospital is also available; please contact the Helpline for details. We would encourage you to join the BCT bat discussion forum to exchange information and experiences with other bat carers.
National Bat Care Workshop
On 8th October 2011, the first National Bat Care Workshop took place. We hope to organise more in the future.
