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.

We provide an efficient and humane service to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned bats and return them to the wild as soon as possible.

We disseminate accurate information through literature, community events and talks to the general public about the importance of bats.

We are active advocates in the conservation of bats and their habitat.

We offer advice on helping to provide and improve habitats for bats as well as identifying botanical species that can be injurious to bats.

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 Bank Transfer or PayPal.

All donations of $2.00 and over are tax deductible.

Facebook Posts

Our volunteer had an unusual dilemma at this barbed wire rescue! Access to the commercial property on the easiest side of the fence was locked. The other side was steep and high, with the flying-fox caught on the wire way out of reach.

Bat rescuers never give up! With some quick thinking and fast-talking, our volunteer cheekily persuaded two painters working on a nearby property to lend her their high ladder. These wonderful guys from Team Painting & Texture Coatings cheerfully agreed, and even carried the ladder to the rescue site and set it up! Sheen, as he was called, was quickly retrieved from the barbed wire and transported to the RSPCA for assessment. Thank you to everyone involved in Sheen’s rescue.

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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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A caller to our hotline reported that they had seen a bat crawling around their balcony. However, by the time our rescuer arrived the bat seemed to have disappeared! During a search of the area, a cute little face was spotted peeking out from her hiding place.

Jay, as she has been named, is a juvenile grey-headed flying-fox. We are not sure how Jay got herself into such a predicament, but we are very grateful to the property owner for taking the trouble to find help. Jay appears to be healthy, but is very thin. She is now in ‘juvenile detention’ receiving nutritious food to help her achieve the weight that she should be for her age. We are confident Jay will mend her ways and pursue a normal seed-dispersal and pollination career instead of continuing a life of crime and home invasion 😉!

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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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We have had quite a number of malnourished youngsters arriving into care recently.

Piccolo is yet another juvenile flying-fox whose early attempts at independence haven’t gone so well. Not only is Piccolo very underweight for his age, he also managed to get himself caught on a barbed wire fence which was obscured by nearby foliage. Poor Piccolo! However, his luck turned when he was reported to our hotline and rescued. Piccolo is now recovering in care, enjoying generous servings of a nutritious daily buffet that he doesn’t have to find for himself.
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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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Dingus was heard crying from a tree in the garden of a caring family who gave us a call to help him. Poor Dingus was only half the weight he should be. At three months old, he should still be feeding from his mum during the day. Sadly, something must have happened to separate them and he was trying to survive on his own. The family who found him gave him his fun name.

Dingus was cared for by one of our carers who is passionate about (and very good at) fattening up skinny juvenile flying-foxes. She already had quite a few when Dingus arrived, so he spent some time at “the salon” having his toenails painted a fetching shade of green for ID purposes. Now a healthier weight, he’ll spend more time with other bats in a flight aviary before we release him for his second chance at life.

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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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Meet Esther Williams. She was named after a famous American competitive swimming champion and actress back in the 1940s and 50s. As you can see, young Esther is a very good swimmer!

Flying-foxes drink by skimming low over water to dip their bellies and then fly off to lick the drips. Due to inexperience or accident, 12 week old Esther ended up in a backyard swimming pool and did several laps until she was rescued. We don’t have a photo to share of Esther being scooped out of the pool, but she did demonstrate afterwards just what thirsty work swimming is!

By the way, the insect photobomber who makes an unwelcome appearance in the video is commonly known as a ‘batfly’. These creepy-looking critters are host-specific parasites that are more annoying than harmful to 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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Flying-foxes rescued due to paralysis syndrome seem to be tapering off, thankfully, but regular rescues of bats in trouble continue. Agate, who has a stunning salt and pepper speckled belly, flew into a pergola then ended up on a screen door. He injured his left leg in the process but it’s improving every day.

Moonstone was feeding in a tree that was too close to powerlines and got a zap to his right wing. It flung him to the ground where he gashed his nose. He has a dressing over one of his burns. Both of these beautiful big adult black flying-fox boys have been checked by vets at the RSPCA QLD Wildlife Hospital (Wacol) – thank you! They are now recuperating in care, but are rather keen to return to the wild as soon as possible….. because autumn is mating 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.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
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2 weeks ago

Bat Conservation & Rescue QLD

Nobody knows how long this flying-fox had been hanging hopelessly entangled in the long string trailing from an abandoned kite. Fortunately, an eagle-eyed member of the public spotted her in a tree high above a busy road and immediately contacted our rescue hotline.

Many calls were made that afternoon trying to find a solution to retrieve the flying-fox from such a difficult location. The local fire brigade kindly attended, but the bat was at a height beyond the reach of their equipment.

We are very grateful to the crew from Advance Tree Works, who safely retrieved the flying-fox using their cherry picker. They also removed the kite, which would have remained a hazard to other wildlife (including the resident ospreys that are much loved by the local community). Strings on kites, balloons and discarded nylon fishing line is a common cause of wildlife entanglement and death, not only for marine animals. The nylon string was wrapped very tightly around the flying-fox’s left wing, which must have been agonizing. She had also cut her mouth on the string trying to free herself.

Finette (named after Fin and Jett, her saviours from Advance Tree Works) is now recovering from her ordeal in the care of a local BCRQ carer. Thank you to everyone involved in this rescue, including Wildlife Wide Bay, it was an enormous team effort!

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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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The past few months have been enormously challenging, with higher than usual rescue and caring activity stretching our volunteer resources. Our rescue hotline continues to receive on average 30 calls every day, so the season isn’t showing any sign of slowing down yet!

This short montage, which features just a few recent cases, provides a glimpse of the work of our amazing volunteer rescuers and carers who always go above and beyond for bats in need.

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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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Poor Lammie wouldn’t have won any beauty contests when we first saw him! He was found on the ground under power cables a few months ago, with his mum nowhere to be found. The vets at RSPCA checked him over and provided cream to heal his sore nose. After 12 weeks in the loving care of two of our experienced carers, Lammie’s nose completely healed.

Lammie is one of the anxious little faces in the video peeking out of the transport crate at the large aviary which is to be his home for the next few weeks. He healed so well, we can’t even tell which one he is! Lammie is now just one of the 75 young flying-foxes in the first intake, building up their muscles at flight school. After several weeks the youngsters will be well prepared for life in the wild and the hatches will be opened.

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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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Spirit is a male black flying-fox whose life was saved by a young girl when she noticed him on the ground in the backyard. She knew not to touch him, so yelled for her mum, who called us straight away.

It turns out Spirit may have sustained a concussion a few days prior, leaving him unable to fly. He was hungry and thirsty, but he was very lucky to have landed in the backyard of this lovely family.

Spirit is named after the girl's heroic spirit and her younger brother's affinity for flying-foxes. In his words to the rescuer who attended, "Bats are my spirit animal!"
Thank you to this family for giving this precious native animal a second chance.

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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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