Baturday News is a weekly blog written by Rachael, a middle school student and Save Lucy volunteer. Rachael’s interest in bats was sparked by the big brown bats that used the outside of her former home for a winter roost. Her family cheerfully hosted the wild colony for years.
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a very Happy New Year!
I thought you all might want to know about the last little bat Save Lucy got in 2015. It is a big brown bat that was brought in on December 28. It was rescued from a storage unit and was in very bad shape. Its left eye is damaged and the left side of its face is hurt. It also holds its tail in a funny position, so something might be wrong with its tail or back. When it first got to Save Lucy, it was very dehydrated and near death. The rehabilitator had to work quickly to save the little bat.
Because it was so badly hurt and sick, the rehabilitator could only do a quick exam before beginning to take care of the bat. During the exam, it was decided that Save Lucy now had a new little boy among its patients. They named him Lemmy after the lead singer of a band called Motorhead. The singer passed away the same day that little Lemmy the bat was rescued, so it seemed like a perfect tribute.
I got to meet little Lemmy the bat on the 30th. He was still very sick, but was feeling a little better than he had been a couple of days before. I got to watch him eat some very tasty mush and drink some water out of a syringe. Little Lemmy did not appreciate his human caretaker very much and I watched as he fussed quite a bit. Fussing is usually a good sign, so hopefully he’ll feel much better soon. After I left, the rehabilitator decided to do another exam. Guess what…that little boy is actually a girl! So, now there is a little girl named Lemmy.
I am happy to report that little Lemmy is doing much better and is eating yummy ground up bugs now. I hope she continues to improve and will be releasable in the Spring. She is really cute, but is obviously a wild bat who wants to be free.
I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy 2016 and that all the little bats out there stay happy and healthy too.