WildView™

July 6, 2016

A Bat Goes Back To The Wild

- as seen by -

Kelsey Kovner

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This little bat is picture perfect.  

The Eastern tube-nosed bat (Nyctimene robinsoni) reminds me of the young bat in Stellaluna, one of my favorite childhood stories.

Found all along the northeast coast of Australia, these bats are camouflaged well for their rainforest habitat with unique yellow and green spots that can also be used to identify each bat, just like the patterns on a whale’s tail or a human’s fingerprint.

The individual pictured here came into the wildlife rehabilitation center where I was working in Atherton, Queensland, Australia. It had flown into a barbed wire fence leaving a small hole in its wing. While the injury may have healed over time in the wild, the bat’s limited ability to fly would have increased his risk of predation.

This story has a happy ending. With care, medical attention, and some wing exercises, the bat was able to leave the facility ready to fly off into the night.

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