ABOUT BAT CONSERVATION AND RESCUE QLD
Bat Conservation and Rescue Qld
is a registered not-for-profit volunteer organization that strives to help people understand the importance
of all bat species, to provide a prompt and humane rescue service, to raise orphans and to rehabilitate injured bats before returning them to the wild.
BCRQ offers this free 24/7 community service all year round including public holidays.
I HAVE FOUND A BAT
SEEK HELP – PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH BATS!
CALL OUR RESCUE HOTLINE ON 0488 228 134
If a bat bites or scratches a human, it may have to be destroyed and sent for testing for Australian Bat Lyssavirus – do not risk the bat’s life or your health. Only people trained and Rabies vaccinated should handle bats.
A flying-fox hanging on overhead power lines may still be alive. Even if dead, it may be a mother with a live baby tucked up under her wing. Please call BCRQ immediately.
If you find a flying-fox caught on a barbed wire fence, please very carefully and without touching it, throw a towel over the bat to help keep it calm. Then call BCRQ immediately.
If you find a flying-fox caught in fruit tree netting, do not try and cut the bat out of the net but call BCRQ immediately.
If the bat is on the ground, please cover the bat with a cardboard box or a washing basket to contain it and call BCRQ immediately.
Any bat by itself through the day is in trouble.
Keep children and pets away from the bat to help minimise its stress and remember, NO TOUCH NO RISK!
HOW YOU CAN HELP
BECOME A MEMBER
Join as an active or associate member. BCRQ offers free training to members.
MAKE A DONATION
Donate via GoGive, Bank Transfer or PayPal.
All donations of $2.00 and over are tax deductible.
Finally in National Volunteer Week, here is a snapshot of just some of the other activities our members are involved in.![]()
Everything you see here is done by volunteers, fuelled by their passion for, and love of, bats. ❤🦇![]()
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If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.![]()
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#NVW2025 #wildlifefriendlyfencing #bateducation
For National Volunteer Week, today we focus on rescue and care of bats. Please enjoy some glimpses into the life of a volunteer bat rescuer and carer.![]()
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If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.![]()
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#NVW2025 #batrescue #batrehab
BCRQ offers a free 24/7 rescue service for flying foxes and microbats. We have an incredible team of volunteers who take turns manning the bat phone around the clock 365 days of the year. 🦇☎️ It’s a hugely important role as, for most people, talking to the bat phone volunteer is their first interaction with us. This National Volunteer Week (and every week) we thank you, our super phone vollies, for your dedication, knowledge and skill. Here are some of our fabulous phone vollies at work.👏👏 ---------------------------------------------------------- ![]()
If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.![]()
#NVW2025 #batphone #batphonevolunteer
DC and Doug are two little red flying-fox orphans that came into care last week aged approximately two and three weeks respectively. Annual birthing season for little red flying-foxes occurs during April/May, which is out of sync with our other flying-fox species that give birth in spring. ![]()
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Here are DC and Doug enjoying some playtime outdoors. Daily exposure to sunlight is beneficial for their health. Even at a very young age DC and Doug have distinctly different personalities - one is a chill little dude and the other is a fidget who doesn’t sit still! They have settled well into their new home and routine and are both doing very well. ![]()
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If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.
Costello was noticed hanging low in a tree. Luckily his finder knew he was in need of help.![]()
Costello has symptoms of early flying fox paralysis syndrome. See his tongue tip protruding from his mouth? That’s one sign. After a week, he was well enough to go to a flight aviary to continue his recovery. Look how happy he looks to be outside.![]()
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If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.
This sweet older gentleman is Elvis, a black flying fox. Thanks very much to the extremely caring person who found him in a park and called us. Elvis has a few different health issues. Thanks also to the wildlife vet team at RSPCA QLD for assessment and treatment for him.![]()
He’s recovering and we’re optimistic he’ll be able to be released in time.![]()
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If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.
Scout was spotted hanging alone in a backyard tree. We’re very grateful to his finder who called to get him help because he was very thin and tired and definitely in need of rescue.![]()
He wasn’t up to hanging at first so he rested in a hammock in a hospital enclosure. This cheeky boy managed to poke his head out the end of the hammock and pluck off some grapes to munch on. Oh, Scout! That’s pretty clever.![]()
He’s since moved to a flight aviary where he is gaining weight and rebuilding his strength ready for his eventual release.![]()
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If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.
Not just barbed wire, but rusty barbed wire. 😭![]()
Mondi is a young black flying fox who was out foraging one night when he became entangled on a barbed wire fence. Barbed wire is virtually invisible to nocturnal wildlife, so is an awful hazard. Sadly, it’s still used for security and farm fencing even though safer and more effective fencing is available.![]()
Mondi is one of the lucky ones whose injuries healed well enough for him to be released. He’s back in the wild spreading seeds and pollinating trees for us.![]()
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If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.
In mid-April, we were called to rescue a flying fox caught in large aperture netting over a banana tree. This caring person called the young boy Turner. Unfortunately, they hadn’t had a chance to remove the dangerous netting when another juvenile black flying fox became trapped a couple of weeks later. We’re so grateful they called again to get help for the second boy, who we named Return.![]()
Netting injuries are insidious. Turner had no sign of any issues at first, but holes have now formed in the wing membrane of both wings where he rubbed up against the netting.![]()
Return also has no sign of injuries, apart from red and sore lips, where he tried to bite himself free. Time will tell if injuries show up over the coming weeks.![]()
We do expect both boys to make a full recovery.![]()
Large aperture netting causes cruel injuries to wildlife, often far more severe than Turner and Return have. Please only use small aperture netting to protect your trees. Shadecloth style is best. Anything you can poke your little finger through is too big. Individual bags are another option.![]()
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If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.
Astonished homeowners found Ghost, a northern freetail bat, on the floor inside their house. At first, they quite understandably mistook him for a white mouse. Albinism is a rare condition in humans, and it occurs from time to time in the animal kingdom too. Ghost is the first albino bat that we have ever received into care!![]()
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Ghost was dehydrated and hungry when he was found, but he was otherwise healthy. After regaining his strength and weight, he was released back to the wild to continue his insect munching work. Ghost’s carer instantly became a huge fan of this little star. Who can resist his charm and good looks? ❤![]()
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If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. PLEASE DON’T TOUCH THE BAT and give us a call immediately on 0488 228 134 for Brisbane and surrounds, or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.