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 ONÂ 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 Bank Transfer or PayPal.
All donations of $2.00 and over are tax deductible.
Sign up for our newsletter
Facebook Posts
As human substitute orphan bat carers, we can’t teach our orphans the skills they’ll need to survive in the wild as well as their mothers do. Baby bats are best raised by their mothers.
So it was a magical moment two nights ago when we were able to help a baby flying-fox to be reunited with its mother.
An evening road worker (who is a neighbour of one of our members!) called after hearing a commotion and stepped in to protect the area. Under a flowering tree, there was a baby on the ground, crying for its mother, and an adult bat circling, also calling out.
Our rescuer checked the baby over, and it was uninjured so she quickly hung the baby on a suitable low branch and backed off to watch.
Mum’s impressive flying skills were not lost on our rescuer, a former pilot 😊🛩. The mother bat tried a few different approaches, almost hovering before selecting the best and within minutes she'd landed, climbed down the branch to her baby, the baby climbed on, and off they flew. 🦇💕 Absolutely heartwarming.
It was too dark for photos so here’s a picture of one of our orphans currently in care. This orphan season has started very slowly, a dramatic change from last year, and fabulous that the bats are doing so well. This boy’s mother was electrocuted on powerlines so, sadly, no reunion attempt was possible for him.
If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. Don’t touch the bat and give us a call immediately on â€0488 228 134‬ for Brisbane and surrounds or your local wildlife rescue in other regions. ‬ Thank you.‬‬‬‬
That’s a fishing lure on this poor juvenile black flying-fox boy. ☹ It was on a fishing rod on a boat moored on a canal and this poor boy flew into it, probably while belly-dipping. This is how flying-foxes drink. They fly low over water, wet their bellies, then lick their belly, either after landing in a tree nearby, or while in flight.
It might surprise you that flying-foxes caught on fish hooks is not an uncommon sort of rescue we do. If you go fishing, please never leave snagged or unattended hooks or lures in the environment. Flying-foxes can’t see them and can fly right into them, sustaining nasty injuries.
We would welcome sponsorship for this sweet boy who’ll be in care for some time til the injuries to his mouth and wing heal. And he doesn’t have a name yet so we’d be delighted if a kind sponsor could give him a special name.
For a donation of AUD$90, which is tax deductible for Australians, we’ll send you a sponsorship certificate, our sincere thanks, and you’ll be helping him get back out into the wild where he belongs.
If interested, please comment here and we’ll be in touch. <3
If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. Don’t touch the bat and give us a call immediately on â€0488 228 134‬ for Brisbane and surrounds or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.‬ ‬‬‬
On todays wildlife friendly gardens post we will be talking about species you can plant in your garden that will not only help bats, but other native wildlife as well. By having a range of native species in your garden you provide food in the form of fruit and nectar for flying foxes, native bees, birds, possums and gliders. These native garden species also attract insects that our microbats forage on at night. As habitat continues to be cleared throughout Australia, providing our native wildlife with natural food is becoming more and more important. Another benefit is that a native garden is also drought resistant, adapted to our natural soils and beautiful with a range of flowering species. Native species also don’t run the risk of escaping your garden and infesting natural areas. You don’t need to resort to non-native garden species to have a colourful and flourishing garden.
Some of our native species are very easy to find at your local nursery while others require a trip out to a specialist native nursery. In Brisbane two of our best-known native nurseries are Indigiscapes in the Redlands and Kumbartcho Sanctuary in Eatons Hill. Both nurseries sell a large variety of native species for a very low cost.
Below we list a range of native species that can be sourced for suburban or larger gardens. Even if your garden space is restricted to hedges you still have the space to benefit your local wildlife. Locally native species are best but there are a range of species that are native to Australia that are still beneficial to have in your garden.
Shrubs for backyards
Lily pilly (Syzygium sp) - any species but australe or smithii are most common. Can be trimmed to make privacy hedges or left to grow into a mid sized tree. Many native species enjoy the fruit.
Banksia (Banksia integrifolia or spinulosa) – banksias are fantastic because they are a very attractive shrub to small tree and a valuable food source for wildlife.
Grevillea species – They are incredibly popular and for good reason! Beautiful flowers with a high nectar yield.
Bottlebrush (Callistemon sp) – these are our most common planted native shrub. These are widely available at most nurseries and produce bright flowers high in nectar.
Smaller trees for backyards -
Plunkett mallee (Eucalyptus curtisii) – A very popular garden tree, this species is smaller than other Eucalyptus so is a great choice for suburbia.
Paper bark species (Melaleuca viridiflora or thymifolia) - any Melaleuca is good but these two are great feature trees and easy to find.
Blueberry ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus) – a midsized tree that produces a fruit that flying foxes and other fruit eating native species love!
Larger trees still suitable for backyards
Golden penda (Xanthostemon chrysanthus) - beautifully flowering and commonly used in landscaping.
Sandpaper fig (Ficus coronata or fraseri) - these species are smaller than other fig species so can be planted in a backyard. Still needs to be at least 5m from your house and not near any concrete or other underground infrastructure. The figs produced are delicious for wildlife and people.
Native tamarind (Diploglottis cunninghamii)- midsized to large tree that produces a fruit enjoyed by wildlife and jam makers alike.
Silky oak (Grevillea robusta) - a common garden tree that produces bright orange nectar rich flowers in spring.
Blue quandong (Elaeocarpus grandis)– Commonly used as a feature tree, this species produces a blue fruit thoroughly enjoyed by flying foxes and other wildlife.
Big trees suitable for larger lots
Locally native gum trees including Eucalyptus, Corymbia or Lophostemon species. Common species in south-east Queensland include Queensland blue gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis), spotted gum (Corymbia citriodora) and swamp box (Lophostemon suaveolens). These trees not only provide critical food sources but develop hollows as they age to be used by a variety of fauna including microbats.
This list is just the tip of the iceberg for the incredible range of wonderful native species you can plant in your garden. Choosing to plant native species is such an easy way you can help your local environment! But please do your research before deciding which species might work best for your garden.
Do you have a native garden? Is there any species we have missed that you would love to recommend? Please leave a comment 🙂
Today’s wildlife friendly gardens post is on a common weed that is very harmful to flying foxes, the cocos or queen palm. This palm is a common sight, particularly in Brisbane gardens. Our aim today is for people to please check their gardens for this palm and take steps to remove them if possible. Cocos palms impact flying foxes in two ways, through the frond sheathes and the fruit. Unlike most other similar palm species, cocos palms do not have a crownshaft with the fronds instead coming from the trunk and forming a sheathe. This sheathe is the perfect shape for little flying fox feet and thumbs to become trapped in. These flying foxes cannot escape once they become stuck with dire results unless noticed and called in. The second way cocos palms impact flying foxes is through their tough and fibrous fruits. These fruits prematurely wear down flying fox teeth making it harder for them to masticate their food as they get older. The fruits are also the perfect size to get trapped behind their canines which leads to a slow death of starvation unless rescued. If that isn’t enough the unripened fruits are also poisonous and flying foxes will eat these in times of hunger.
So please, have a look around your garden and check for cocos palms. If you can get them removed that is ideal but if this isn’t feasible at least remove the fruits and monitor your palm for flying foxes there during the day. If you see one during the day give us a call straight away.
If you would like to plant palms in your garden consider a foxtail or bangalow palm which looks similar but doesn’t have the same impact as cocos.
Remember that any bat by itself during the day is in need of help. Don’t touch the bat and give us a call immediately on â€0488 228 134‬ for Brisbane and surrounds or your local wildlife rescue for other regions.
We have a very special introduction today, our first full term baby of the season! This is Mr Whiskers, a baby male black flying fox. Mr Whisker’s mum was sadly fatally electrocuted on powerlines but, as often happens, Mr Whiskers himself was mostly unhurt. So if you see a bat electrocuted on powerlines please call us immediately as, even if the adult bat has died, they could be hiding a little bub under their wing that needs rescue. Thankfully someone spotted Mr Whiskers on his mum up on the powerlines and gave us a call. We were able to contact Energex who sent out a fantastic team to retrieve Mr Whiskers off the powerlines for us. He has some burns on his little leg but they will heal up well over time and with treatment. He’s settling well into care in the mean time, enjoying his bottles, sun time and cuddles from his new carer.
Mr Whiskers is available for symbolic adoption, however, as the first baby of the season his carer has chosen his name. The rest of our orphaned babies will be able to be named by their adopters. The cost of his symbolic adoption is $90AUD which will help to cover his expenses while in care. Adopters will get a lovely certificate which makes for a great gift. Please message us if you are interested in adopting him 🦇
**all of our rescuers and rehabbers are fully vaccinated**
Remember that any bat by itself during the day is in need of help. Don’t touch the bat and give us a call immediately on â€0488 228 134‬ for Brisbane and surrounds or your local wildlife rescue for other regions.
On this weeks wildlife friendly gardens post we will be talking about barbed wire fences. Barbed wire fences are horrific for our wildlife. Countless bats, gliders, birds and other species become entangled on the barbs suffering a slow death. In south east Queensland barbed wire is commonly used for security fences and for livestock containment with rescues from barbed wire one of our most common calls. If you have barbed wire on your property, the best thing you can do is remove the fence and replace it with plain wire. If removing the whole fence is not an option, even just replacing the top strand of wire will avoid the majority of entanglements. If wire replacement is not feasible you can still reduce entanglements by making the fence easier to see for our wildlife. Options include flag bunting, hanging old CDs, reflective tape or bird deterrent discs which is what we use. The wildlife friendly fencing link below has more great ideas for making your barbed wire safer for wildlife.
Unfortunately barbed wire is not going away any time soon. However, there are ways that we can reduce the impact it has on our wildlife. We would again like to sincerely thank everyone who donated to our barbed wire ‘dollars for discs’ fundraiser. Our discs have already started being installed around Brisbane! These discs will ensure that wildlife can see barbed wire fences and avoid the majority of entanglements.
The video features Arlo, a lovely male black flying fox who was caught on barbed wire by his belly. Thankfully he was called in early and he had only done minor damage to his mouth trying to chew himself free. He was very hungry and thirsty and very much appreciated some juicy grapes! Mr Arlo healed in care and has now been released 🦇
***all of our rescuers and rehabbers are fully vaccinated***
Remember that any bat by itself during the day is in need of help. Don’t touch the bat and give us a call immediately on â€0488 228 134‬ for Brisbane and surrounds or your local wildlife rescue for other regions.
www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com/WFF/Home.html
Last week was a massive week for BCRQ, training-wise. In preparation for the upcoming busy season, we held two orphan workshops, one rescue workshop and, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Jen and Sam, BCRQ launched a new microbat workshop.
Jen was excited to give those who attended a sneak peek at our new streamlined database which is currently receiving finishing touches to be ready for orphan season.
Many new and continuing members attended, happily complying with Covid restrictions.
So we’re more ready than ever for your call! 📞
If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. Don’t touch the bat and give us a call immediately on â€0488 228 134‬ for Brisbane and surrounds or your local wildlife rescue in other regions. ‬ Thank you. 🦇
This darling girl is Cassie, short for Cassiterite. She’s a large-footed myotis, commonly known as a fishing bat. These bats use their large feet to trawl the water for freshwater invertebrates and occasionally small fish.
The lovely people who found her and called us, live near a waterway. We think Cassie may have clipped one of her wings on something while flying. She had moved when our rescuer arrived but, not giving up, she searched and found Cassie hanging on a backyard brick wall, dehydrated and cranky.
Cassie will be in care til the bruising on her wing heals. Luckily she loves her diet of brine shrimp, including slurping up the juice. Yum.
There are more pictures in the comments.
If you see a bat on its own in the daytime, it needs help. Don’t touch the bat and give us a call immediately on â€0488 228 134‬ for Brisbane and surrounds or your local wildlife rescue in other regions. ‬ Thank you.
On this week's wildlife friendly gardens post we will be talking about something very simple to change, fruit netting. Bats, snakes, gliders and birds all become fatally entangled in inappropriate fruit netting. This inappropriate netting is widely available for sale and people install it on their trees with no knowledge of the cruelty it inflicts. There are a couple of options you have if you wish to protect your fruit in a way that is ethical and wildlife friendly. The preferred option is to individually bag the fruit you want to keep for yourself and leave the rest for wildlife. You can buy inexpensive soft fine mesh bags online that you can use for this purpose. The second option is to purchase wildlife friendly netting which is called ‘hailguard’ or ‘crop protector’. This netting has a very fine weave that you can’t poke even the tip of your finger through. Even with this wildlife friendly netting it’s important to install it on a frame or so there are no gaps that wildlife can get through.
We find that the vast majority of people who purchase inappropriate fruit netting just have no idea of the harm it can cause. So please, spread the word. Check in with your gardening friends and family and make sure they are using wildlife friendly netting or individual bags for their fruit. It is so easy to purchase ethical netting that there really is no reason for wildlife to continue to suffer.
Pictured is Oliver, an adult male black flying fox who became entangled in inappropriate netting as he was trying to feed on some tasty mangos. Thankfully he was spotted early and only sustained minor injuries. He has been released back into the wild 🦇
***all of our rescuers and rehabbers are fully vaccinated***
Remember that any bat by itself during the day is in need of help. Don’t touch the bat and give us a call immediately on â€0488 228 134‬ for Brisbane and surrounds or your local wildlife rescue in other regions.
This wonderful initiative is an international live-streamed music festival over six days and will raise much-needed funds for Animal Sanctuaries around the world.
Each performer chooses a charity and Lyle Blakemore has kindly chosen us. Thank you, Lyle. <3
Check it out for the best international Goth and Alternative DJs livestreaming as well as some of the best established bands and new talent performing for our pleasure. 🦇🎵🦇🎵