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.
We had another mass microbat rescue earlier this week!![]()
![]()
The residents of this house saw a few microbats around their front door one day and the next there were many, many more!![]()
![]()
At first we thought they’d come from a tree that was being cut up after being blown over during Tropical Cyclone Alfred, however these microbats were Miniopterus australis - little bent-winged or little long-fingered bats, which are a cave dwelling, not tree dwelling species. We looked around and discovered a culvert across the road which had a lot of water running through it, so it’s likely they were roosting in there and were forced out as the water level rose from flooding from, you guessed it: TC Alfred.![]()
![]()
Butcher birds were picking these little bats off from where they were huddled and kookaburras were taking them as they attempted to go back to their roost. ![]()
![]()
Also, the residents were unable to open that door of their house, and the back door also had microbats sheltering around it.![]()
![]()
So, in a mammoth operation, we rescued 118 of these bats, assessed them, and returned 108 that were uninjured later that day, as the water level had gone down enough for the culvert to be safe for them.![]()
![]()
----------------------------------------------------------![]()
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.
Your social media volunteers have no power (one of us) and no internet (the other one) due to cyclone Alfred. So for today’s post, we’ve dug into the archives for a memorable rescue from some years back that our more recent friends won’t have seen.![]()
This bat was spotted by a lovely person on a cross-river ferry in the river at the base of a vertical wall. He was too far down to rescue from above. As luck would have it, a police inflatable motored past. It was our rescuer’s only chance to get the bat so, why not try? She waved them down and they very kindly diverted to help. It’s not something that happens every day!![]()
![]()
----------------------------------------------------------![]()
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.
Meet Windy.![]()
He was our last rescue before we locked down as Tropical Cyclone Alfred was arriving at the islands off our coastline. It was a very windy night and he was likely buffeted into something by a strong gust of wind. He was found by a caring person crawling around on the ground in their yard.![]()
Windy looks like a grey-headed flying fox at first glance, but he’s a black flying fox with unusual markings. Those streaks on his face remind us of the wind map we were monitoring at the time – another reason for his name. ![]()
----------------------------------------------------------![]()
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 little red flying-fox, named Bob, somehow found his way into a local hardware store. After a quick circuit of the undercover landscape supplies section, he settled high above an aisle where he spent the day admiring the merchandise.![]()
![]()
Just before closing time, a team of our local volunteers gathered to make the tricky rescue attempt. Capturing a mobile flying-fox in a large area full of obstacles was a challenge! The risk was that Bob could easily dodge the rescue poles and venture beyond reach elsewhere in the building. There was also a barbed wire fence directly outside the only possible exit point that Bob could get caught on. ![]()
![]()
The BCRQ team stationed themselves in various locations to guide Bob towards the exit. The rescue attempt succeeded, after some clever wrangling by our pole experts! Fortunately, Bob had no injuries at all from his adventure. Before release back to the wild, Bob was taken into short-term care for observation - which gave him the opportunity to work on his own rather messy DIY cage redecoration project. We are very grateful to everyone involved in Bob’s shopping expedition. Thank you!![]()
![]()
-------------------------------------------------------![]()
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.
We have a tropical cyclone forecast to be heading right towards us. 🌀 (These dangerous storms are known as hurricanes or typhoons in the northern hemisphere.)![]()
Flying foxes normally fly out from their camps every evening to forage for food. In very strong winds, they are known to stay put and even move down lower in trees. They can survive a few days without food and will be able to drink by licking rain water off their bodies.![]()
You met the lovely Lana when she was a tiny newborn baby. Now she’s one month old and showing you how flying foxes hang on even when branches are swinging in the wind.![]()
Here's hoping all the bats stay safe over the coming days.![]()
![]()
----------------------------------------------------------![]()
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.
Remember the massive rescue of 180 white-striped freetail microbat pups and juveniles from a hollow inside a tree that fell over back in January?![]()
![]()
Well, the labour of love continues for our microbat carers and those in other groups who are all sharing the workload. Saving this many lives is a mammoth effort.![]()
As the pups and juvies progress, their personalities are coming out and their antics are providing great delight and amusement for their carers. Splitz across the log anyone?![]()
----------------------------------------------------------![]()
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.
Balsamic is an adult black flying fox rescued on the very tail end of the latest flying fox paralysis syndrome outbreak. His name is a tribute to the fact all the adult males are beautifully aromatic at this time as we approach mating season. Well, for some, it’s already started!![]()
The wildlife vet team at RSPCA QLD looked after Balsamic at first, including giving him IV fluids. Once with us, he’s taken longer than most to be able to eat solid food. His diet was smoothie and juice for quite some time, before he finally managed to munch on some banana.![]()
![]()
----------------------------------------------------------![]()
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.
We’re delighted to say our first creche intake of hand raised orphaned flying foxes are in the wild, beginning their lives as crucial pollinators and seed dispersers.![]()
![]()
One of them is Sarah, who was spotted hanging alone on a fence not far from a colony. She was around 8 weeks old and may have accidentally fallen off her mother shortly after her mum flew out for her night of foraging. Sarah’s mum would have desperately searched for her daughter but sadly was unable to find and retrieve her.![]()
![]()
See how her early attempts at flapping were quite wonky, and how they quickly improved.![]()
![]()
Thanks to the lovely caller who rang us to get help for Sarah, she’s now back in the wild. ❤![]()
----------------------------------------------------------![]()
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.
We’ve had, not one, but two rescues in the last week of a flying fox entangled in a car grille. 😢![]()
Thanks to the wildlife vet team at RSPCA QLD for caring for both bats. Sadly, one had severe injuries and couldn’t be saved.![]()
The other, Gigi, is a lucky girl. Her injuries are milder and she will recover in time. She’s already in a flight aviary recuperating with other bats in care.![]()
As a driver, it’s often impossible to avoid colliding with an animal if it suddenly runs, or flies, out in front of you. What a driver does next is what matters. Both these drivers stopped and got help for the animal. We can’t thank you both enough for your humane and caring actions. ❤![]()
![]()
----------------------------------------------------------![]()
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.
Like Madison, Coco is another victim of Flying Fox Paralysis Syndrome after the worst has passed. Both were rescued in February. Coco couldn’t swallow at all at first and you can see her here receiving life saving fluids via IV. A few days later she can gently lap smoothie from a syringe. And now she’s continuing to recover in a flight aviary.![]()
![]()
----------------------------------------------------------![]()
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.