We had just returned from a long day running errands. DH had Worship, so the boys and I had a night of movies ahead of us. We all looked forward to a relaxing evening.
Then…
A: “Mom! There’s a dead bat by the garbage!!”
Me: “Don’t touch it; I’m coming…” (I gather gloves and a bag…)
We see this cute, little bat, not moving. I look at it for a few seconds, and even though it was perfectly still, I did not sense that it was dead.
So, I gently prodded it and it moved!! But, just a little…I assumed it was a baby that may have fallen from our roof, although we have had no inkling that we had bats.
OK, on to Plan B…
I called animal control to see what I should do. It was about 6pm, and I was concerned that all I would get was an answering machine, but thankfully they answered. Animal control gave me the number for the Gold Country Wildlife Rescue. Once again, I called, expecting to leave a message, but they also answered. They said they would contact their bat expert and call me back within five minutes.
True to their word, I got a call back from ‘Porky’, a woman who runs Northern California Bats, a non-profit rescue, rehabilitation, and education agency. She said she’d be happy to take the bat, but that she was in Davis. We decided to split the difference and meet at a Starbucks in east Sacramento.
I tried to place the bat in a box and it immediately hung onto the lid. I closed the bat with it hanging completely upside-down.
Porky inspected the bat and told us that is was a full grown female Mexican free-tail bat. It would not be a baby this time of the year, and she said that the bats were in migration right now. She was probably exhausted. Mexican free-tails are found in the western United States, south through Mexico, Central America and into northern South America.
She showed us how the bat was malnourished and showed where there should have been fat pockets, but they are depleted. She opened the wings to show the boys her wingspan and the poor thing was riddled with mites. No wonder she was exhausted and dehydrated!
We all felt pleased that we were able to help this little being and grateful that appropriate support was available.
