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.
Our busiest time of the year is about to begin! Over the coming weeks bats big and small start birthing. Baby black and grey-headed flying-foxes can become separated from their mothers for a variety of reasons. The babies are completely helpless, so please investigate any unusual cries you might hear. A baby flying-fox cry sounds similar to a cricket or baby bird. The cries of the little one at the beginning of our video gives you an idea of what to listen out for. If you do find a baby bat, please don’t touch and call us (or your closest wildlife rescue service) straight away.![]()
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Please share this post to raise awareness of what a baby flying-fox sounds like and help to save more little lives this season.![]()
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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.
Teesh is a young black flying fox who was foraging in a tree near a paling fence when her leg became trapped between two palings. She was very hungry when first rescued. See how she’s holding the smoothie-filled syringe in place with her thumb? Under the care of our senior trauma carer, she is recovering well. She’s a lucky girl.![]()
If you have a paling fence, please install capping along the top so no other bats suffer painful injuries like Teesh.![]()
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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 young man is Lennox and he is yet another victim of barbed wire but, before becoming trapped on the wire, poor Lennox suffered serious injuries from burns to his “trousers” and part of one wing. The membrane on the inside of a flying fox’s legs is formally called the uropatagium or interfemoral membrane but we think “trousers” is not only descriptive but very cute.![]()
It's impossible to say how Lennox suffered these nasty burns but an electric fence is a possibility.![]()
He’s recovering slowly. Here he is looking around enjoying fresh air when he first moved from a hospital enclosure to a flight aviary.![]()
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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.
Phantom was seen hanging in a palm tree during the day and luckily the resident knew that wasn’t right and to call for help. We don’t know how it happened but Phantom had a small fracture to one of her finger bones. Phantom is a subadult black flying fox with an unusually light face. Her name is due to her “mask”. Her finger is healing beautifully and we’ll release her when it’s fully healed and she’s flying confidently again.![]()
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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.
Scribbly is another young black flying fox who became trapped on barbed wire while out foraging. Most entanglements are on the top strand, or top two, but Scribbly was caught on the 3rd strand. As if barbed wire isn’t awful enough, while she was trapped, her face and shoulders rubbed against the sharp top part of the chain wire below, causing further injuries. Poor Scribbly. Luckily everything is healing. Like all our rescued bats, Scribbly is a fan of blackcurrant juice. Here she has just learnt she can lap the juice herself, having been shown how by her 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.
The groundsmen at an inner urban park found a flying fox hanging low in a tree. They safely contained her in a box for our rescuer to collect. Chicka is an adult black flying fox who is pregnant and had no apparent injuries. Pregnant girls are protective of their babies and often show signs of stress. We were able to put Chicka in a flight aviary with other adult girls, some also pregnant, the very next day, to keep her calm and relaxed. She gained a considerable amount of weight in her few weeks of recovery and we’ve released her with a much rounder belly. Good luck Chicka. ![]()
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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.
No age is a good age for a flying fox to discover the horrors of barbed wire, but it seems somehow more cruel when it’s a young bat. Brook is around six months old and she got caught on barbed wire while out foraging one night. Luckily for Brook, her injuries will heal but we dream of a world where this torture device – harsh? that’s what barbed wire is – is removed from the environment and banned.![]()
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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.
We were called to a rescue of a bat hanging on a fence and by the time we arrived, the bat was nowhere to be found. Three days later, we were called to a bat hanging on a chair on a patio just one street over. He was terribly thin, freezing cold and had an abscess on his chin. We believe this young boy, called Besham, is the same young bat who was struggling and we’re so glad we can help him. Once he was feeling better, he loved blackcurrant juice, even reaching past a banana kebab for the juice!![]()
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📣Please note 📣 the resident heard Besham land on the patio during the night. She thought he might fly off so didn’t call us until next evening when he was still there. We hear this from kind, caring people often. Please call immediately. Don’t wait. The sooner we rescue the bat, the better its chances of recovery.![]()
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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.
Saturn is a lucky young man. He was found in a back yard and the lovely resident called to get him help. He has a drippy eye and some minor injuries. It’s hard to say what caused them and luckily, he’s recovering well. He was a bit daunted by the usual welcome when he moved to a flight aviary so he found some branches to hide amongst. ![]()
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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.
How cute are Dolce and Donatella sharing nicely at their fruit smoothie station? Donatella, a grey-headed flying-fox, is healing from the injuries she received after becoming entangled on a barbed wire fence. Dolce is a different species - a little red flying-fox. She was grabbed by a predator (most likely a sea-eagle or powerful owl) which dropped her by accident into a school yard. When our rescuer arrived, Dolce was found on the ground covered in craft glue, as well as having bruises and claw marks from the predator attack. ![]()
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Despite their horrible experiences, both Donatella and Dolce are doing well and will be released when they have fully recovered. ![]()
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By the way, the insect you might spot on Donatella’s face is a common host-specific parasite called a batfly. These critters have an annoying habit of video bombing!![]()
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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.