NEVER touch a bat! · PDF fileBats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats...
Transcript of NEVER touch a bat! · PDF fileBats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats...
President’s Message 2-3 Species Profile 14 Gilbert’s Pinterest 22
Who’s Who in BCRQ 4 Education/Events 15 New Members 23
Rescue Stories 5-7 Hospital Patients 16 Events Calendar 24
New babies 7 Sewing Patterns 17 Recipe: Veggie Bake 24
Puthen the Python 8-9 Craft with Caz 18 Roost Roundup 25
Member Profile: Deb 10-11 Ask Dr Deb 19 In the News 26
Faces of Rehab 12 Thanks & Acknowledgements 20-21 Junior Bat Rangers 27
Bat Tourism: Curtis Falls 13 Stop Press: Camira Site 20 Contacts 28
Puthen the Python Pages 8-9 White Striped Freetails, Page 14
NEVER touch a bat. All bats being handled in his newsletter are being cared for by trained and vaccinated carers. Australian bats have the
potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus which can be contracted from a scratch or bite of an infected animal. NEVER touch a bat!
Your New Crew Pages 2-4
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Photo: Hans Knop
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Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
President’s message
President for five minutes and Paislie the most awesomest newsletter editor ever, asks for a President's report due to-
morrow. It is now tomorrow......
Hello to all the members and readers of the BCRQ Newsletter. BCRQ has been around for a long time now, and has a
brilliant reputation. Now it has a new president and it is me. My name is Katrina Faulkes-Leng. I have been involved in
the bat world for eight years, and a member of BCRQ since 2008. I live on five acres of bush in Tamborine, am married,
have three children, numerous animals, and a strong commitment to Australia's bat species', and the conservation and
regeneration of habitat.
The new Executive Committee of Bat Conservation and Rescue Qld Inc. is as follows:
President - Katrina Faulkes-Leng
Vice-President - Deb Palmer
Secretary - Leanne Robertson
Treasurer - Clara Robertson
Membership Secretary - Julie Jackson
The President's report is supposed to reflect the activities of the organisation. My report is, by necessity, forward look-
ing. It also recognises and respects every effort made by every member of the organisation. As Rescue Phone Opera-
tor/Coordinator, I have spoken to our active rescue members on a regular basis. I love who they are, I love what they
do, I love that they do what they can when asked, and I hope I tell them often enough how brilliant they are.
The members behind the scenes are the ones that do the work we don't think about - education, events, public relations,
grant applications, fundraising, social media etc. These people keep things going and introduce the world to what we do.
At this point in time, I cannot give you an up to the minute report and I apologise for that, but I will not be dishonest. We
have a new Executive Committee, which will take a few weeks finding its feet. I thank the outgoing Executive for the
work they have done, the detail they have written and their assistance in the transition. I trust that we will continue to
work together for the common good.
Our new Executive Committee: Membership Secretary Julie Jackson, Vice President Debbie Palmer, President Katrina
Faulkes-Leng, Secretary Leanne Robertson. (Absent: Treasurer Clara Robertson).
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Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Message from Louise
On a lighter note, the AGM on Sunday, was somewhat hijacked by the pres-
ence of a particularly gorgeous Little Red Flying-fox Baby called Ruby. Only
six days old, abduction was a serious threat by almost every member pre-
sent! She was taken from a dead mother on the day of her birth, but mother
and baby were collected from the side of the road just north of Maryborough,
and delivered to Denise. This is why we love the public.
On another lighter note, Louise was unable to attend the meeting as
planned. Her daughter-in-law Keely, went into labour on the morning of the
meeting, and was soon delivered of twins. A boy and a girl. Another very
happy family today, and we wish them every happiness.
We are sad to say farewell to our predecessors. Louise Saunders - Presi-
dent, Connie Kerr - Vice-President, Denise Wade - Vice-President, and
Richard Knevitt - Treasurer. We are totally in awe of their experience, com-
mitment and ongoing support.
Our organisation is growing and changing. It is important that we not be afraid of change. We just have to manage it to
ensure that we continue to provide the same level of professional and effective service that we have always done, but at
the same time, we continue to learn and improve what we do for the benefit of our clients - the bats!
We are all here for the same reason, the bats, and we must remember that our focus should be on them first. But we
need healthy members too, and we hope we can maintain an encouraging and inclusive environment and be united in
our efforts to advocate for these important animals. Although we are trying to change public attitudes as fast as we can,
political attitudes will take a lot longer and we must not lose our combined strength.
Katrina
As the founder of BCRQ I had a passion and a commitment to try to build a better life for bats with those with
like minds. The past 7 years have been some of the best years of my life. They have been hugely rewarding
and a time of immense personal growth. The job has thrown up challenges and tried the best of us almost on
a weekly, if not a daily basis.
The two best things out of all of this, have been working with the most amazing animals on earth and my jour-
ney learning about them with you, the best people in the world.
For the encouragement and the support that the majority of you have given to me I cannot thank you enough.
I have made many good and lasting friendships through our joint love and devotion of bats. Together we have
opened people’s eyes and hearts, we have laughed together and cried together but most of all you have
been an inspiration. You are beautiful selfless people who have stood beside me and held my hand to create
a fabulous dynamic and progressive organisation to be proud of.
I hope beyond hope that through our joint vision BCRQ will continue to ad-
vance its aims and that members will be loyal enough to grow the organisa-
tion many years into the future. To show other Queenslanders that bats, mi-
crobats and flying-foxes are truly magnificent wonderful animals that de-
serve so much more.
I wish the committee good luck to continue steering BCRQ in the right direc-
tion to keep saving these keystone native Australian mammals in the best
possible way. I hope the members of BCRQ will continue, as I will too, to do
the very best for bats and be committed to grow our wonderful organisation
that we built together to save them. Louise
We are pleased that Louise will continue with BCRQ and will be one of our Baby Co-ordinators.
Louise & Gilbert
Photo: couriermail.com.au
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Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Our 2014 AGM was well attended by members new and old, at a beautiful home nestled in the Logan bush-
land. A big thank you to Leanne & family for opening up their home.
After the annual reports were read, Connie handed out a LOT of awards.
Congratulations to all involved, and a big thank you to everyone involved in
BCRQ in what hasn’t exactly been an easy year.
Tasty tidbits and flying-fox iceblocks were consumed while voting took
place, and the new Exec Committee was announced. We were disappoint-
ed that our new Treasurer was forbidden from attending due to a foot oper-
ation the previous day, as we hear her pain relief made for good entertain-
ment. Best wishes, Clara, for a speedy recovery.
2014 Annual General Meeting
Grants Officer Jayne Dunn [email protected]
Data Co-ordinator Julie Jackson [email protected]
Events Co-ordinators Marg Snowden & Jo Janssens [email protected]
Education Officer Debbie Palmer [email protected]
Public Relations Officer Katrina Faulkes-Leng [email protected]
Rescue Phone Co-ordinator Keith Falkiner [email protected]
Webmaster Cathy Howie [email protected]
Fundraising Officer Nanette Kempel [email protected]
Social Media Alison O’Sullivan [email protected]
Newsletter Editor Paislie Hadley [email protected]
Junior Bat Rangers Suzi Hardcastle [email protected]
Workplace Health & Safety Mel Brennan [email protected]
Training Co-ordinator Kathy Stapley [email protected]
Baby Co-ordinators Louise Saunders & Trish Goodwin [email protected]
Rehab Co-ordinator Denise Wade [email protected]
Microbat Co-ordinator Julie Jackson [email protected]
Creche & Release Officer TBA [email protected]
President Katrina Faulkes-Leng [email protected]
Vice President Debbie Palmer [email protected]
Treasurer Clara Robertson [email protected]
Secretary Leanne Robertson [email protected]
Membership Secretary Julie Jackson [email protected]
Executive Committee 2014-2015
Team Leaders/Co-ordinators
We wish everyone a fulfilling and stress-free term in their new roles. Don’t forget, the team leaders will be looking for team mem-
bers to help them out. If you have special talents, knowledge or free time, please approach the relevant team leader or committee
member and let them know your abilities and availability. Just an hour each week or fortnight can make a big difference to someone
juggling a job, family, rescues & care on top of their role in BCRQ. The bats need all our strength to fight for them.
Connie presents Trish Goodwin with
a Bat Champion award.
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Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Wal heard that the Southern Cross Sports Club on
Klumpp Road at Upper Mount Gravatt had a very
good menu and was well worth a visit. So on Sun-
day night, Wal decided to visit the club. He entered
through the front door but instead of going to the
restaurant he headed to the pokies.
Unfortunately Wal had broken a few rules in going to
the club. He wasn’t a current member and didn’t
sign in as he went through the front door. As he
was a juvenile he wasn’t allowed unaccompanied on
the licensed premises anyway. Wal’s other problem
was that he is a juvenile black Flying-fox.
Wal had taken up a position on top of a light in the
gaming area and he found all the flashing lights and
sounds and the people quite fascinating. Staff were-
n’t sure what to do with Wal but thought he needed
assistance to find his way out.
The staff googled for assistance and found that
BCRQ (Bat Conservation and Rescue Qld) would be
able to assist. BCRQ provides a free community
service to assist bats like Wal that get into trouble
and assist the community by acting as an interface
between bats and people.
2 BCRQ members came to the club with the neces-
sary equipment but Wal was staying where he was.
There was a risk if a rescue attempt was made that
Wal may injure himself or land on someone. It was
considered unfair to ask everyone to leave early so
A night out at the pokies
Life is full of surprises and we were very surprised
when this little bundle came through the door at the
end of May.
Rescued by Narelle and barely 10 weeks old, giving
him a mid-March birthday, little Philip was found
clinging to a light fixture in a plumbing shop.
Philip was 106 grams underweight and we think that
he may have tried to fly out of the colony when his
mum didn't return.
Desperate and starving, Philip was very cold, hun-
gry and dehydrated and he is pictured here after
receiving life saving fluids, a nice warm up in the
humidicrib and finally some yummy bat smoothie to
fill his hollow tummy.
A big thanks to Narelle for putting him straight onto
a heat pad and for saving his little life. Denise
Better Late Than Never
our patient volunteers sat with a complimentary cof-
fee to watch Wal watching the sights and sounds.
After the club closed at 10pm and the last patrons
left, a net was used to snare Wal and bring him
down to the ground.
A quick examination showed no obvious injuries but
Wal was taken to one of the experienced bat carers
for a better assessment. It was confirmed that Wal
is a juvenile probably just left his mother’s care. He
was a little underweight, possibly not eating the right
things like any normal teenager.
Wal had a lucky win at the pokies as he has been
offered free board and food for a couple of weeks
with other bats at a bat resort. Wal was released in
the park next to the club with a referral to Gamblers
Anonymous. Ray Ison
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Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
A fantastic member of the public phoned Ruben in and waited for me
to arrive after giving perfect directions and taking me straight to him:
caught in the barbed wire strands atop a 6 foot fence. He didn’t much
like being the centre of attention, so before he could get cranky, I
threw a towel over him and went to work using the 'two towel' tech-
nique as the 'green shopping bag' technique wouldn't work as he was
a bit too big.
Once wrapped in the towel and secured by pegs, I could get to work
on his stuck wing. The barbs weren't too hard to untwist as I had help
from the concerned caller who was quite happy to hand me tools and
listen to my constant babbling which may or may not sound like a very
well educated university professor talking about the benefits of Mega-
bats and Microbats for the ecosystem and the world's biodiversity.
Roy got to name Ruben and I let him know later that night that Ruben
was a lucky boy, not damaged and would have about a week's rest at
the Robertson Hotel before being released. I popped him in the cage,
covered, seatbelt on and check up time. Rescue Protocol - first call I do is my mentor and rehab extraordi-
naire Denise, for assessment and approval for a Hotel stay - check - Super Duper Rescue Bat Phone person,
Katrina to give major details; big Alecto boy, barbed wire rescue, in car and on way to rehab, basic assess-
ment of minimal damage - check - arrive at rehab - assessment complete and back in car with paperwork in-
cluding weights and measures - last phone call back to Bat Phone with extra details and where Ruben is re-
siding until release - check.
Ruben had next to no tears, just a hole or two as he didn't struggle while on the fence and was the sweetest
boy. More than happy to be fed grapes and pawpaw while wrapped in a towel. He enjoyed a rest for the night
and then out with the babies in the BatMax.
Ruben was hard release by our rehab specialist Denise at the Springwood Colony and filmed by the Spanish
Film Crew for their around the world documentary on bats.
My Super Star !! Leanne
Ruben - from Munruben. A big Alecto
boy of 970grams and only 2 teeth!
Ruben from Bunruben: Toothless Film Star
We understand that a significant number of members are still having
difficulty dealing with the trauma of January’s heat stress event. This
was a horror that affected us all in different ways, and we recognise
that there is the potential for it to have long term consequences. We
need to work through what happened and set in place plans so we
can go in fighting next time.
A debriefing session with a professional counsellor is being arranged
and we hope that as many members as possible will be able to attend.
An email will sent out when details are available. Please know that
you’re not alone and Katrina and Debbie, (or any other member for
that matter) are available if you need to talk about your experience in
the meantime.
Important notice — Heat event debrief
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Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Little Red Bundles of Joy ♥ By a miracle, Ruby was found by the
side of the road north of Maryborough,
clinging to her mother who’d succumbed
to injuries believed to be from a motor
vehicle. When found, she was newly
born, still attached to the placenta which
had not yet been delivered. A caring
member of the public managed to get
her and her mum into a box without
touching them, and as he was heading
to the Gold Coast he was able to deliver
baby Ruby to us. Denise, who has a
number of little reds in care over winter,
is looking after Ruby and fighting off lots of clucky batty mums who
are missing their little black and grey babies.
This healthy looking little boy was the first baby to
be delivered by a little red mother in Denise’s
care. He’s feeding well and mum is doing a fabu-
lous job caring for him. ►
NEVER touch a bat —
call us for help!!!
0488 228 134
This is Ethan. He had quite an adventure after flying flat
stick into the glass door of an apartment building several
stories high.
Following his collision and in the presence of stunned (but
very cool) residents, Ethan crawled through their open door
and made his way to one of the bedrooms where he found
sanctuary in a wardrobe full of clothes.
Quick thinking by the surprised but sensible residents saw
Ethan safely contained within the wardrobe and BCRQ vol-
unteers were called to come and help.
They knew he was in there but they had to fossick methodi-
cally through a packed assortment of clothes to find their
prize. They eventually spotted Ethan peeking out from be-
hind a set of trouser legs.
Thanks to BCRQ rescuer Paul for braving another mans
trousers and for liberating Ethan from his unfortunate pre-
dicament.
Out of the Closet
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Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Puthen the Python
I was caring for six orphaned bats on my own – they
were all gorgeous but such a handful! One was a
difficult feeder and took a long time to thrive. Fortu-
nately with help and guidance, they all progressed to
the weaning stage and were put into the outdoor
‘batmax-cage’ during the daytime. Eventually they
stayed there permanently and took to fruit and high
protein supplement each night. I noticed that they
were ‘unsettled’ at times and so I kept looking
around for a cause, with no luck for some days.
By chance after another inspection, I spotted a large
python (2 – 3 metres) at ground level, hiding be-
tween the batmax and some storage crates. No
wonder my little ones were skittish!! They were justi-
fiably terrified!
I chased off the python, soothed my babies and
cleared all sides of the batmax. I then started to re-
search my options.
I got advice from several sources and learned that
there are really no guaranteed deterrents on the
market. Commercial deterrents emitting vibrations
are supposed to fool the snake into believing that a
larger predator is present. Not effective with pythons
and tree snakes as they generally move around off
the ground and they usually ‘twig’ onto the ruse.
Strong odours do not faze them at all.
Through Wildcare I was given two viable options.
Have it removed (by a professional to another area)
or feed it a couple of rats so that it would disappear
to digest them for a couple of weeks – NOT TRUE
IN THIS CASE – as I learned!!!
Initially I did not want to have this stunningly; beauti-
ful animal removed as I learned that pythons are
territorial and will often return to their original area
when hungry. They can then come to grief via dog
attacks and car strikes as they attempt to get back
to their known food source (I.e. my bats!).
I therefore opted for the second option to give my
bats time to reach their crèche weight - I thought my
babies would only be with me for two more weeks
(also not true!). Under guidance from an experi-
enced snake and reptile handler I purchased frozen
rats from a pet shop ($10- $15 each) and then gen-
tly defrosted one. I was surprised how beautiful it
was – it had sleek black and white fur.
I put my bats in the batmax and checked them regu-
larly. No sign of the python, (who by now was
named ‘Puthen’, after a mythological serpent) - until
midnight! I put a rat in warm water to heat it up and
then bravely tossed it, by the tail to ‘Puthen’, near
her head to catch her attention. She showed great
interest so I left her alone for twenty minutes. When
I checked, the rat was gone and ‘Puthen’ was slowly
retreating under the house.
Whew! I thought “peace” for a
week or two! Unfortunately that
was not the end of the story.
‘Puthen’ was back at three am,
very determinedly feeling along
the roof of the batmax searching
for an opening!!!! The theory is
that the rat was not heated up
enough and she had vomited it
out or that it was not a big
enough feed - back to the draw-
ing board! The next feed was
two rats! She struck and throttled
them with fantastic speed!
Cont’d...
9
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
for the next encounter. When the time came I
brought the three smallest bubs inside and chewed
my nails waiting for the handler. It was horrible but
this time there were no hiccups. ‘Puthen’ was easy
to catch and our nightmare was over! The handler
said that there must be plenty of python food in my
area as she was in great condition.
Despite the terrifying experiences there was a happy
ending. All of my little ones thrived, went to crèche
and were eventually released. HOORAY! I wish
them (and ‘Puthen’) good luck, being wild and free!
P.S. Hints and information that I would like to pass
on to other carers:
Ensure the batmax is snake proof because a large
python is all backbone and muscle and very deter-
mined when looking for a feed. You need to think
like a snake! It will poke its nose forcefully along
edges, seeking an entry spot. If the head can get in,
then the rest of body can flatten and squeeze
through the opening without any problem. (I once
watched ‘Puthen’ disappear under an outdoor cup-
board that I considered to be ‘flush’ to the ground!)
Keep your batmax clear on all sides so that preda-
tors do not have places to hide and you can also
quickly view any problems.
Keep in mind that pythons are on the prowl twenty-
four/seven when hungry! I thought they were noctur-
nal only!
Both handlers quoted a
reduced rate of $50 for re-
moval of nuisance snakes
for wildlife carers.
Nanette Kempel
Did you know???
Our very own Suzi Hard-
castle does snake removal
in Brisbane, Redlands &
Logan. Suzi will remove a
non-venomous snake for
BCRQ members for the
cost of her petrol. Other
snakes may have a small charge. Call Suzi’s
Reptile Removals 24 Hours: 0488 199 982
I eventually fed ‘Puthen’ five med/large rats over
time, but that was not enough! She was hungry for
more! She vanished for 1 – 3 days at a time and
then re-appeared! It was very distressing for all of us
– especially my bubs! ‘Puthen’ was very brazen and
not at all interested in me – except when I hosed
her. I bought a surveillance camera and could view
the batmax in my lounge, on my laptop. This all hap-
pened at a time when the crèches were full to ca-
pacity (due to hideous political actions, followed by
unprecedented weather conditions) and we were
being asked to keep our bubs until further notice!
Enough was enough!!! ‘Puthen’ seemed to be thank-
ful for the rats but she really wanted my bats as well!
I contacted a licensed Wildlife person to be on
standby to remove ‘Puthen’ at her next appearance.
That turned out to be nightmare number two! It hap-
pened to be a time when the snake handler was
many kilometres away and waiting to do a parenting
changeover. We also lost phone contact with each
other for several hours!! His car had unfortunately
broken down and he was out of range! I hosed
‘Puthen’ yet again with the jet stream from the hose.
She quickly reared up in contempt and then slowly
slithered over the batmax, up the carport wall and
into a nearby tree. She had many, favourite hiding
places.
I brought all my charges inside in the early am
hours. I really wanted some sleep by this time but
there was another problem. I had packed up their
clothes-airer which was not much good anyway be-
cause they were now able to fly quite well!! Not
much fun and very messy in my tiny home – but we
managed!
I contacted another snake handler to be a back-up
10
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Member Profile: Hanging out with Deb Palmer Although Deb is only new to our organisation, she has flown in head first like Wal into the sports club. and
we’re going to lock her in so she can’t escape. Here is how the bats hooked Deb:
It’s not really about me
My connection with wildlife and bats in particular was to teach my
daughter, Lucy (then 10) that life wasn’t all about her. That we are a
part of a global community and need to help and protect our surround-
ings. To teach that even the little things we do matter.
We decided to knit blankets and pouches for wildlife carers. In the pro-
cess of visiting amazing carers far and wide with our knitted goods, I
contacted Louise Saunders, our then president
of BCRQ. I had no idea that bats “couldn’t”
use anything we had made. Never to discour-
age, she organised that we visit Summer, an
orphaned baby black that Denise was rearing.
No need to tell you we were completely
amazed at her intelligence and beauty. As with
most of the general public, we enjoyed seeing
them fly over at night but never encountered a
closeup.
Then the awful Charters Towers dispersal happened and after hearing how difficult it is in general for our na-
tive mammals decided to get my vaccinations. Truly immunised by Jan 3 then Jan 4 happened - the Heat
Event. Inexperienced, but eager to help like all of us, called in and was directed to a major baby triage in
Cleveland. The babies had been through so much. They were scared, dehydrated and confused. Many
BCRQ members coming from far and wide to pick up as many as they could manage were concerned, alert,
gently spoken and calm. Having never been a part of an organisation before, I thought I’d made the right de-
cision to join this one then and there. This was a massive natural disaster and these volunteers were working
like drilled soldiers.
I’ve pretty much remained in awe of you active members. Constantly amazed at your extreme generosity with
time and care. And love, love, love flying-foxes! And then I met a microbat…
Well, that’s a whole other chapter of amazingness. Let me just say smitten. Spent
the whole AGM with 3 of them up my shirt to protect and warm.
You’ve all read my bio for the elections so I didn’t want to repeat. It’s all about the
bats and you that help them which I’m proud to say I’m a part of. My real goal,
personally and within the organisation is to educate about how important they are
and what magnificent creatures they are. We should be proud we happen to live
in their country.
I’ll tell you this story and it will give you an idea of who I am.
BCRQ’s first processing day of the many, many juveniles that were orphaned
from January 4. There were also rehab flying-foxes to test. I was scribing. Pro-
cessing involves gently collecting each bat in a towel, wrapping them up to
weigh and measure arm and then a test flight. Louise came up with a beautiful
Cont’d...
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11
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Two More Bag Bats Saved by Nanette
adult female grey-headed. A netting casualty. Although she
came into rehab several months earlier with severe wing and
membrane damage, we thought she deserved a chance. She
had already failed one test flight - no good. That day was her
second go. She was so calm and trusting when weighing and
measuring. I took a photo - pretty, pretty girl looking directly at
me. She failed her flight badly. Louise picked her up gently and
calmly and said she could get another go and I swear, she
turned to Louise and looked into her eyes and let her know she
couldn’t do it. Her body pleaded with her that she didn’t want to
do it. I was only new at bats but I could see what she was doing. She got another go. She didn’t make it.
My scribing sheet was wet with tears. Such a beautiful, intelligent animal wrecked and ruined because of
flimsy netting. That was back in March and I haven’t stopped thinking of her.
Debbie
A note on Debbie’s beautiful grey girl: As rehabbers we put a lot of time, love & money into each ani-
mal, but occasionally due to the severity of their injuries, there are individuals that are not be able to
fend for themselves in the wild and consequently cannot be released. Our permit doesn’t allow us to
keep the animals that are not viable and specifies that they must be humanely euthanased if they’re un-
able to be released. This is never an easy decision but it is the right one with the bat’s wellbeing and fu-
ture survival being our highest priority. We do all we can to return these precious and trusting souls to
the wild however this is not always possible, and this outcome is always heartbreaking for us, particular-
ly for the carer who has spent so much time with the bat. However, it has been shown that these intelli-
gent animals suffer emotionally when taken from the wild and ‘imprisoned’ in permanent care, hence the
reason our Education Bats always come to us as unreleasable orphaned babies who have never experi-
enced the freedom of flight and the excitement of the world outside.
We wish Debbie all the best in her role as Vice President. Her energy, enthusiasm and spirit will be ap-
preciated by bats and humans alike.
Th
e p
recio
us a
nd
be
au
tiful g
rey
girl
I was called out to do a rescue at dusk, in February this year. The caller claimed that two bats were trapped
in a bougainvillea bush, high up on a ridge at the end of a block of units, in my area. The considerate retired
couple had been hosing them from afar, to keep them cool during the hot day. It all sounded too weird! I
clambered up (mostly on all fours), with carry cage and rescue equipment. I then edged along the bushy, nar-
row ledge to the rescue site. It was weird!! The two bats were actually a black-plastic, garbage bag draped
over a branch – moving in the breeze! The caller was extremely embarrassed but we had a great laugh – es-
pecially when I learned that her husband had thought that the ‘bats’ were mating when they got into difficul-
ties!
Nanette
Nanette is top of the plastic bat rescue rankings now with 3 bag rescues. Hopefully she won’t have to return
there to rescue any baby plastic bags in October...
12
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
This little cutie was rescue by Joie af-
ter being found hanging alone on a
wall inside a house on Tangalooma.
Dehydrated but uninjured, this Lesser
Long-eared bat is currently in care but
he will be going home very soon.
Microbats are incredibly important but
they are doing it tough as humans
continue to destroy their habitat and
perpetuate the irrational fear of dis-
ease.
Unfortunately Joie didn’t get to go to
Tangalooma to pick him up but I’m
sure there are no shortage of volun-
teers for release time.
Grey Ghost found
crèche all very frighten-
ing at first, but soon
relaxed and made
friends.
Grey Ghost has since
graduated and may
now be haunting a Cal-
listemon near you.►
No wonder all the bats are
getting themselves in
trouble - rehab has the
best food, with room ser-
vice! ►
◄Chris was caught in a Council throw line
and he was gratefully rescued by Joie.
Chris sustained some membrane damage to
his wing. Seen here sporting the latest in
batty fashions, this bat dress will keep his
wing immobilised and enable soothing medi-
cation to do it's work. He looks comfy
enough being spoon fed smoothie.
▲Before and after shots of Mary who miraculously survived being
stuck in a very greasy sliding door runner.
Pandora sleeping off anaesthetic after
having barbed wire removed from her belly.
Sootie smiling
for the camera
one last time
before release
Faces of Rehab
13
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Curtis Falls, Mt Tamborine
Curtis Falls is 80km south of Brisbane, in the
Joalah section of Mt Tamborine National Park
in the Gold Coast Hinterland.
The walking track begins at the car park in
Dapsang Drive. The track to the falls is 1.1km return, and
well worth the walk. There is also a 2km easy circuit walk
that takes you along Curtis Creek. Just take care at the
boulder crossing at the north-
ern end of the track, I’ve fall-
en in there twice trying to
cross the slippery rocks!
You don’t need to complete
the circuit track to experience
the best part of the walk—the colony of grey-headed fly-
ing foxes. In mating season you may hear them or even
smell them before you come across them. Their telltale
deposits on the track will also alert you to the fact that
they’re nearby.
To find the flying fox roost, after visiting the falls, follow
the Lower Creek Circuit track about 75m past the junction
with the track back to the carpark. After crossing the
creek at the bridge search the treetops and you will find
the bats high up in the top of the piccabeen palms and
gum trees. It’s nice to see the bats hanging neatly
spaced along the palm fronds.
The walking track to the falls is Class 3 and the lower
creek circuit is Class 4. Allow 30 mins and 1 hour re-
spectively. To avoid the boulder crossing, turn back and
return via the same track, you always notice things you
didn’t see coming back the other way. You can then
cross the bridge and take the track along the other side
of the creek if you have the energy!
On weekends there are lots of things to see and do on
the mountain so stay for lunch or visit a winery or brew-
ery for a taste-test. There are galleries galore, or time
your trip to visit the markets. See discover-
tamborine.com.au for ideas.
Tamborine
Mountain
can be
reached via
Beenleigh
and Tam-
borine Vil-
lage or via
the Pacific
Highway and
Oxenford–
Tamborine
Road.
14
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Species Spotlight: White Striped Freetail The white striped freetail is a friendly looking bat, easily distinguished by the white stripes that give it its
name.
It has very soft dark brown to
black fur on its back and belly,
with a white stripe underneath
each side where the wings join
the body. Some also have
flashes of white on their
chests, a bit like border collies.
Their call can be heard by the
human ear. Their voice is me-
lodic and has some high
pitched trills which clear the
eardrums! Normal ’chirps’
sound like a robin. They have
extremely good eyesight and
only use their echolocation if in
bad light.
They can fly up to 61kph and
are also fast on the ground;
they are also known as scurry-
ing bats.
They do not hibernate. They
are one of the largest micro-
bats found in Australia—an adult weighing around 40grams. They only bear one
young, live solitarily or in groups up to about 25 and form maternity colonies in baby
season of up to 300.
These large insect-eating microbats are found in most of mainland
Australia, with the exception of the most northern regions.
With thanks to Julie Jackson
Photo: Steve Parish Nature Connect
Steve Parish/Les Hall
134 white-striped freetails were
rescued by Julie, Jo & Michael
last year after the hollow they
were roosting in sheared off a
large spotted gum . Weight: Males 26-35g; Females 32-48g
Forearm: 57-65mm
Steve Parish
Julie Jackson
Julie Jackson
15
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
A big thanks to Deb Palmer, Leanne Robinson, Julie No-
lan, Sue Morris, Ray and Pam Ison, Nanette Kemple, An-
nette Hodgen, Christine and Armando Invelito,
Many show visitors were impressed with our enthusiasm
and dedication. Lots of plastic bat rings went on little fin-
gers, hopefully being a talking point, along with giving out
Word Searches, Colour-in sheets and Brochures.
Ipswich Show The Ipswich mayor invited us to run a stall
at the Ipswich show on 16 & 17 May.
Everyone was wonderfully proactive to get
our cards and positive messages about
bats to as many people as possible.
Education Events
On 24 May Ipswich Mayor, Paul Pisasale, came to meet us at
a display at the ‘Connect to the Creek Week’ event at Kholo
Botanic Gardens.
There was good interest in our information and Midnight and
Melaleuca behaved beautifully. Ray, Sue, Connie and Pam
were kept busy, especially as we also did kids' activities
(thanks Sue).
The Mayor encouraged us to keep writing Letters to the Edi-
tors with positive messages. BCRQ members have now done
5 Ipswich events this year, with Connie doing 4 great presen-
tations and the enthusiastic team at the Ipswich Show last
weekend.
Education and Festival season is just starting to ramp up. We need lots of volunteers at upcoming events - see the
calendar for what’s on and contact Marg to be part of the fun!
Kholo Botanic Gardens
Cr Pisasale with Midnight, Melaleuca and Connie
Training
We’ve held two successful training sessions this year: Microbat Rescue &
Care and Beginner Flying Fox Rescue Training.
Both sessions had a great turnout. Rachel Lyons shared her wealth of
knowledge on microbats in April, and Connie Kerr shared all her experi-
ence in Flying Fox (and stuffed toy) rescue techniques in May.
Don’t forget—Advanced/Rehab training will be held on 22 June!
◄Connie demonstrating barbed wire rescue using a sample fence built by the clever Stuart
Wade.
16
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Dr Tania at the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital in Wacol has been very busy helping our flying friends. Here
are some of her patients.
◄Seen here reclining in a stylish leopard print hammock, Jaffa the Black flying-fox is
slowly on the mend.
Arriving at the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital with a badly broken humerus, Jaffa was in a lot of
pain.
Thanks to life saving surgery by Dr. Tania and 10 days of intensive care from Annette
(thanks heaps Tania and Annette!!!), Jaffa has embarked on the next leg of her rehab
journey and is in care with one of our rehab members.
Now wanting to hang but still in need of support, Jaffa is settled and comfortable in her
hammock.
▼ Petal the Little Red looks worse for
wear after her operation to pin her frac-
tured humerus.
Thanks to the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital
Petal has been given a second chance.
Petunia the LRFF is having an ultrasound.
See if you can tell if it’s a boy or a girl!
A big
THANK
YOU
to all the
veterinary staff
who fix up and
care for our
precious bats.
Hospital Patients
17
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Preparing for baby season Now that all our babies have left crèche and flown off to their futures, it’s time
to take a breather and prepare for next baby season. All going well we have
a lot of mums -to-be out there, and as much as we hope they won’t need our
help with their babies, it is inevitable in this hostile world that some will come
into care.
Now’s the time to restock for baby season. Making baby linen is simple and
something support members can do to help. Wouldn’t you love to see a little
flying fox modelling your creation?
I have some free flannelette available in 2m
lots which I will bring to meetings & training
sessions while available. It’s mostly dino-
saur designs as it came (unused) from an
op shop, but I’m sure our babies won’t be
too frightened. Paislie.
Batty Burritos (Mumma Rolls) Mumma rolls are a mumma and wrap in one.
Great for little ones they are easy to change and
quick drying, are soft and warm for baby. These
are made of flannelette with the mumma part
stuffed with recycled pillow stuffing or hobby fill.
The unhemmed size of the mumma wrap should
be 50x25cm, but may need to be just slightly
smaller or larger depending on the size fabric
you have and whether it’s hemmed or over-
locked.
Hem or overlock the edges of the rectangle,
then fold one end over about 10cm and sew two edges, leaving one end open to fill. Fill the mumma end
without making it too firm, then sew it closed.
Cont’d
Wraps Also known as Bat Nappies, wraps are really just a hemmed square cloth to wrap
the baby in when using a separate mumma roll. Made from flannelette and some-
times soft cotton, these are easy to wash and breathe so baby doesn’t overheat.
The finished size of bat nappies should be 30-35cm2,
depending on the size of your fabric, eg fabric 1m wide
can be folded into equal sized squares and cut to size.
Sew or overlock the edges to prevent fraying.
◄ Sample Bat Nappies in various prints
18
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
An inexpensive way of sourcing fabric is from op shops and garage sales. Flannelette baby wraps in
good condition can be purchased for $1-2. Look for good thick flannelette sheets in all sizes that will
make cozy wraps. (Flat sheets are usually less worn than fitted ones.) Some may not be for good
enough for special occasions, but will make cost effective wraps and rolls for everyday use. Second
hand pillows and cushion inserts are great for stuffing, but I like to wash them first!
Mummas Mummas can be made from rolled up face cloths or hand towels, or soft pillow-type ones can be made from
flannelette. Cut squares of approximately 22-25cm2, These are edged then folded in half with the pattern on
the inside. Sew around one long and short side, then turn the roll the right side out. Stuff the mumma with
stuffing, and sew along the open edge to finish it off.
Craft with Caz Caz has been creatively crafty, working mainly with recycled materials, with impressive
results. The photos on the left show some of the items Caz has made for the Education
Van out of bicycle inner tubes!
Despite a great start to the Wild and Batty Crafters days at Downfall Creek, attendance
has dropped and the craft group may have o be cancelled without more support.
We also have some knitting and crochet patterns that members may like to do at home,
or if anyone belongs to an existing knitters group you may be able to encourage your
fellow knitters to knit a bat.
This is a wonderful project, to create non-mass-produced items for sale to the public and
we appreciate your help. See the Calendar, page 24, for dates.
Contact Caz if you can help out on 0423 772 151.
Be a part of the 2015 Batty Calendar We’re looking for contributions to the 2015 Calendar. We’d like to litter the calendar with
fascinating facts about bats so we’re looking for “Did you know?” type tidbits up to about
30 words long.
We’ll be needing 12 of these, so submit as many fascinating facts as you can. The top
12 will be selected to be published in the Calendar.
Send your fascinating fact to Deb - [email protected]
Steve Parish has kindly donated some photos to us for the calendar, so it should be
another popular one. Steve Parish
19
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
An influx from Japan?
This curious article from The Queensland Times on
Tuesday, August 14,1928 was found online thanks
to trove.nla.gov.au. It speaks of flying foxes visiting
the area south of Ipswich from Japan!
Ask Dr Deb As you should know, Dr Deb the Travel Doctor has been a long time sup-
porter of BCRQ ,offering advice and discounted rabies vaccines to mem-
bers. Dr Deb has kindly offered to answer any questions you might have
about vaccinations.
Questions and answers will be published (anonymously) in the Spring edi-
tion of BatChatter.
Email any questions to [email protected].
Dr Deb Mills ► ?
Green bag rescue technique
Have you seen Richard demonstrate his barbed
wire rescue technique using a shopping bag?
Have a look on youtube for a demo, but don’t try
this at home unless you’re vaccinated and wear-
ing your PPE!!!
Rainforest Connections Fundraiser In March, BCRQ started a funding appeal through Rainforest Connections
to help with our huge influx of orphans from the heat event in January.
Our target of $10,000 was reached and then passed in the last few days of
the appeal.
Thank you to everyone who helped promote the fundraiser, and thank you
to those wonderful supporters who can see how valuable these misunder-
stood mammals are despite their often bad press, and donated money to
help them survive.
We are pleased to announce that the total donations received over the peri-
od of the appeal was around $1300.
20
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Alana Leon Amanda Schmidt Andrew Giotto Angela McKeegan Ann Fallon Anne Shindel Annette Turner Brett Connell Britta Hawney Carle & Betty King Carol Zarbock Christine Arbogast Cynthia Burnett Damien O’Connor Dani Ostojic Dawn Russell Dina Bryan Dirk McNicoll Dr Peter Mills Elizabeth Walker Elsie Hoare Happy Valley Bats Heart Harmony
Helen Wakerley Inge & David Kinlan Jacqueline Schne Jaewoon Jeong Jen Hansen Jeremy Coleby-Williams Jill Langton Jo Skiles-Lohr Joan Lauer Joanne Adams Kara Jay Karen Gear Kimberley Buiano Laurel Rohrer Linden Cutler Lisa McKellar Maiko Nezu Maree Evans Marta Cierpilowska Mary Crichton Mary Smith Mary Wightman Maxine Hunter
Melanie Hogan Melissa Parsons Mercy Hardcastle Michelle Douglas Miriam Cannell Neil Murphy Patricia Kelly Penny Fiddes Peter Burton Philippa Grinblat R A Grandcourt Rae Anne Fox Rainforest Connections Richard Knevitt Robert Hinkle Sarah Pantazis Sharon Seeley Silvia Fedosejevs Tanya Loos Thierry Tomczak Scouts Urban Forest Projects Westpac Donation Match Wildlife Qld Logan
Gavin & Helen McLeish Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Vanessa & Andrew Trudgian In Memorial for William Ayling: Ashley Coombs In Memorial for Kay Marshall: Douglas Dippy Russell Dippy Kylie Cornish
A special thanks also go to
those generous donors who
do not wish to be named.
All donations go to assist our
aims of improving the lives of
bats, to help our volunteers
to do their amazing work and
to educate communities to
the importance of bats.
DONATIONS & SPONSORSHIPS WERE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED FROM......
Thank you all for getting us through a very trying baby season. We appreciate your support.
Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You
It is with considerable regret that the incoming committee of BCRQ Inc. has found
itself in the unfortunate position of having to decommission our Camira crèche and
release site. External circumstances, and its urban location, have forced this situa-
tion and has shown continued use of Camira for BCRQ purposes is untenable and
must cease. It is very unfortunate, as we had believed that this site had the potential
to be our long term home.
Over the next six weeks, we will be relocating the cages and equipment into storage until a new location is
found for us. We hope that this will not be too long in coming and we are following up on numerous leads.
Of course if anybody has any ideas, please feel free to offer them up.
The committee would like to thank everyone who has assisted at Camira. You have all gone above and be-
yond for the bats and sometimes it will have been hard to bear, particularly during our extreme heat event in
January. We do not want any of you to think that your hard work and dedication has gone unnoticed. We
hope you will continue to support us in our new home, whatever form that may take. Katrina
Stop Press: camira site decommissioning
21
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Dr Deb Mills supports BCRQ by offer-
ing discounts on vaccines to our mem-
bers. www.thetraveldoctor.com.au
Zoo Studio Pet Photography
http://www.zoostudio.com.au/
have generously photographed
the stars of the 2014 BCRQ
calendar.
www.conosco.com.au donated our
office space at Cleveland.
Greencross Vets in Inala and
Chermside provide veterinary care for
our flying foxes and microbats.
Redland City Council have provided us with two large worm
farms, and a grant to produce education information.
The Logan City Council
have provided us with nest
boxes, and a grant to pro-
duce education information.
Thank you to the RSPCA Wildlife
Hospital vets, and to RSPCA Wacol
for use of their conference rooms.
www.vanillawebdesigns.com.au are responsible for our stunning new website.
Woolworths Cleveland and Alexan-
dra Hills donate fruit for our bats on
a regular basis.
And a big batty thank you goes to:
Provet Veterinary Supplies kindly do-
nated some much-needed supplies to
enable us to care for our bats. www.nature-connect.com.au have donated a library of Steve Parish photos for our use.
The wonderful Anthony Moloney from
Melcare provides us with tubes of
Derma Care for our batties each year.
Our hungry flying-foxes were glad to
receive donations of fruit from Coles.
The Brisbane City Council
have provided us with fuel
vouchers, an aviary, food
for the bats, and a phone.
Blunder Road Coun-
try Markets in Durack
have been supplying
us with fruit at a dis-
count for our bats.
Dr David Banks of Raby Bay Vet
provides care for our bats.
Ipswich City Council have been supportive of our education events in Ips-
wich and have offered to do some photocopying for us.
Please note that as our Executive Committee are now spread
far and wide, we have closed our office in Cleveland.
A big thanks to Conosco for donating our office space for the
last couple of years.
Our PO Box address will remain the same.
22
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Gilbert the Bat’s Pinterest
Despite Gilbert being all thumbs, he likes to collect bits and pieces from
around the web and pin them on Pinterest.
This time he wanted to share some of the works of art he’s stumbled
across.
If you want to know more
about any of these items,
visit Gilbert’s Pinterest.
These items and more can
be found on the Bat Art
board.
23
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
New Members
Thierry Tomczak
Chloe Tomczak
Carmen Nebe
Robert Nebe
Sue Morris
Michael Palmer
Julie Dean
Michelle Sargeant
Danni Bettridge
Isabelle Fregosi
Jane Koltoft
Alina Davis
Kellie McFarland
Jim Leng
Oscar Leng
John McLeish
Jean McLeish
Brian McLeish
Barry Seaton
Rodney Kenane
Kelly Young
Clara Robertson
Graeme Robertson
Dean Litchfield
Andrew Sharpe
Midge Worley
Mark Paget
Emma Kennedy
Ebony McIntosh
Darren Jones
Marlene Jones
Chantel Jones
Trish Jones
Neil Mathis
We hope the battiness rubs off on you quickly and stays with you for a lifetime.
A warm welcome to the following new members!
Grow Your Own Bat
Bat Flower (Tacca chantrieri) is a clump-forming perennial bearing
exotic, dark brown to purple flowers on long stems. The unusual flower
with its wing like bracts is said to resemble a bat.
It requires moist, humus rich soil in a sheltered position in the
garden.
L-R: Julie Jackson’s, Paislie’s
Grandma’s, and Pam Ison’s (in a pot)
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Michael Dale, who died at
home on 12 May 2014 aged 77 years.
Michael was a great supporter of BCRQ, generous even on his passing with a re-
quest made for donations to be made to BCRQ in lieu of flowers.
Our condolences go out to Michael’s loved ones.
Vale Michael Dale
24
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
June Saturday 7th Indigi Day Out Indigiscapes Centre, Capalaba
Saturday 7th World Environment Day Festival The Outlook, Boonah
Sunday 8th LEAF Griffith University, Meadowbrook
Saturday 14th Wild and Batty Crafters Downfall Creek, Rode Rd, McDowall
Sunday 22nd Advanced rescue training RSPCA Conference Room, Wacol
July Wed/Thur 9th&10th Far Out Forest Festival Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens
Saturday 12th Wild and Batty Crafters Downfall Creek
Sunday 20th Peaks to Point Festival Family Day Oxley Creek Common
Sunday 27th Einbunpin Festival Lagoon Parklands, Brighton Rd, Sandgate
August Sunday 3rd What’s Cooking in the Gardens Redcliffe Botanical Gardens
Saturday 9th Wild and Batty Crafters Downfall Creek, Rode Rd, McDowall
September Sunday 7th Threatened Species Day Queen Street Mall, Brisbane
Sunday 7th Orphan Babies Workshop RSPCA Conference Room, Wacol
Saturday 12th Wild and Batty Crafters Downfall Creek, Rode Rd, McDowall
Friday 26th Wonderful Wildlife Redlands Indigiscapes Centre, Capalaba
Events Calendar
Recipe: Veggie & Cottage Cheese Bake
Recipe:
1 large turnip, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
1 parsnip, sliced
400g tin corn kernels
1/2 capsicum, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 eggs
1.5 cups cottage cheese
Bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheese
salt and pepper
3 tbs grated Romano cheese
1. Steam turnip, carrots & parsnip until cooked. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the cottage cheese and cheese and stir until mixed.
3. Add the cooked and remaining vegetables to the cheese mixture. Add salt and pepper.
4. Spread into a baking dish and top with bread crumbs and Romano cheese.
5. Bake at 180°C for about 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Substitute
other
vegetables
as desired
25
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Roost Roundup Unfortunately, now that most of the babies can fly, it’s the
season of dispersals.
Queens Park, Ipswich
switched off to reduce humidity, and vegetation and foli-
age were trimmed.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the bats moved to the
grounds of the neighbouring school instead, and had to Toowoomba A dispersal at Highfields was attempted in early March
this year, but was postponed because of the presence of
juvenile grey-headed and black flying foxes at the roost.
Due to the presence of Grey Headed flying foxes, the
dispersal could only be undertaken under a damage miti-
gation permit from the federal government. Conditions of
the permit included that all grey-headed juveniles had to
be able to fly, and that the dispersal could not take place
during mating season.
Toowoomba Regional Council still plan to disperse roosts
at Highfields, Oakey and Kearney’s Spring. DMPs have
been issued for all three locations and work is due to
begin. Vegetation removal will be used to move some of
these bats on.
Cairns
Coolum
Kabra Kabra, near Rockhampton has been home to a roost of
Little Red Flying Foxes since early this year.
As Kabra falls outside the defined Urban Flying Fox Man-
agement areas, a permit had to be sought from the state
government to move them on.
The DEHP has now issued a permit for the dispersal of
the colony. No details are available on whether this is a
maternity colony.
Boonah
The colony of Spectacled Flying Foxes in Cairns CBD are
being subjected to roost modification to move the bats
from their home at the library.
One flightless juvenile was found
even before tree-trimming began.
The DMP stipulated that work
had to stop if there were any
bats in trees, however footage
taken of the dispersal appears to
show cutting continuing despite
the presence of bats. A letter
from the DEHP admits to one breach.
The trees, some of which were heritage listed figs, have
been hacked back. Attempts were made to trim an obvi-
ous crèche tree but it was spared. It’s believed that some
trees trimmed did not appear on the permit.
This dispersal will be an ongoing event. At present there
are still a large number of flying foxes at the roost, how-
ever I believe they have until October to complete the
roost modifications.
Boonah’s roost decommissioning began on 4 June.
Trees will be removed over 8 weeks, as shown below.
Any bats relocating within 2km of the roost will be subject
to dispersal and vegetation will be modified to make sure
they don’t return. In the map below, the current roost is
situated in areas 1 and 2. The areas in green, predomi-
nantly up near the complaining residents and next to the
motel, appear to be areas that although neighbouring the
roost, will not be touched by the tree-trimmers but are
nevertheless out of bounds. Hopefully someone told the
bats.
Council hopes that the flying foxes will return to their for-
mer roost on Mt French, approximately 10km away.
In Early April, a passive dispersal of flying foxes was un-
dertaken in order to reduce the flying fox population at the
Ipswich Nature Centre in Queens Park.
A council dispersal team used a number of low impact
techniques such as lights and fog. The water feature was
Sunshine Coast Council carried out dispersals from the
Cassia Wildlife Corridor over three weeks in May. It is
claimed that numbers have been reduced, but as usual,
time will tell.
26
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
In the news
This wonderful article about the
Ipswich “Connect to your Creek”
walk and family fun day was publl-
shed by the Queensland Times.
Read the article online.
This story shows that
the message is still
not getting out to the
public that bats
should never be
touched. We’re
pleased that more
councils are contact-
ing us to arrange for
education in their council areas, however a lot more needs to be done.
This adventurous LRFF somehow
managed to find itself on a boat that
is permanently moored at sea.
The ‘bativists’ dressed as bats to draw at-
tention to the vulnerable and endangered
species, including bats, whose habitat is
being cleared within the Leard State Forest
to make its coal mine bigger.
The forest, containing the largest remain-
ing area of endangered whitebox gum in
the world, is home to the Large-eared Pied
Bat, Little Pied Bat, Corben’s Long-eared
Bat, Eastern Bentwing, Eastern Cave Bat,
& the Yellow-Bellied Sheathtail. Sign the
Petition to cease clearing, particularly while
animals are hibernating over winter.
In February, two ‘bats’ hung from a coal loader at Idemitsu's Boggabri coal mine in
Leard State Forest, NW NSW. Whitehaven are also clearing for a mine in the forest.
The bat’s’ aversion to blaring
bagpipes is understandable,
however it is illegal to dis-
turb a roost whether by bag-
pipes or banging pots.
27
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
Junior Bat Rangers
Did you know? Microbats go into torpor (a mild
form of hibernation) during win-
ter. When bats are active their
heart beats very very fast, up to an incredi-
ble 1,000 beats per minute. During winter
when there isn’t as much food for them to
eat, microbats can reduce their body tem-
perature from 40°C to 10°C to save energy.
Try not to wake them—they need to use a
lot of energy to come out of torpor!
Junior Bat Ranger of the
Month
is Ranger Mercy who has been raising funds
for her favourite bat, the Spectacled Flying
Fox, by making and selling Bandeez at the
markets.
This is one of the pictures Ranger Phoenix drew for
us. This picture is of a flying fox competing at the
school sports carnival in the “Red Tamaroo” team.
Tamaroo is an Aboriginal word for possum.
A big batty
welcome to our
newest Junior Bat
Rangers:
c
d
g
h
i
We hope you love
being batty!
How to join Junior Bat
Rangers
1. Download an application form
2. Print and complete the form -
make it is signed by a parent or
guardian.
3. Scan and email your completed
form
to [email protected] or
send it via post to: PO Box 1727,
Capalaba Qld 4157.
Membership is $5 per child. Payment
can be made via Paypal, bank trans-
fer, or cheque. When sending your
form, please advise which payment
method was used.
The world’s habitats are in dan-
ger and you can help save them!
Using a mobile phone or tablet, you
can adopt a polar bear. To keep the
bear alive and healthy, you will then
need to complete tasks that will
make the world healthier. Then you
can progress through levels, in-
creasing the health of your bear and
earning badges for your efforts. The
object is to save the world by improving your bear’s
health.
There are also pins to col-
lect like the Grey Headed
Flying Fox.
Download from iTunes free
for both iPhone/iPad & An-
droid.
Habitat is aimed at
ages 6-8.
Junior Bat Rangers also get their own special
newsletter called Junior Bat Chatter.
28
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc. Rescue.Education.Conservation.Habitat www.bats.org.au For rescue call 0488 228 134 NEVER touch a bat. Bats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being
handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call an expert; never touch a bat!
T H I S E D I T I O N
A sincere thank you to those who have assisted with the 25th edition of
Bat Chatter.
Special thanks to: Nanette Kempel, Julie Jackson, Katrina Faulkes-Leng,
Pam & Ray Ison, Debbie Palmer, Denise Wade, Leanne Robertson, Louise
Saunders, Hans Knop, & Richard Knevitt.
Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld. Inc.
ABN 997 897 062 17
RESCUE MOBILE 24hr
0488 228 134
INFORMATION MESSAGE (07) 3321 1229
www.bats.org.au
Enquiries—[email protected]
President : Katrina [email protected]
Membership : Julie
Events Co-ordinator: Marg/Jo [email protected]
Media Enquiries: Katrina
Social Media: Alison [email protected]
Junior Bat Rangers: Suzi [email protected]
Newsletter Editor : Paislie [email protected]
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions expressed in this newsletter are
not those of all BCRQ members. If you have
any queries or concerns regarding the infor-
mation or articles provided in this issue, please
don’t hesitate to contact us: [email protected]
Contacts
Gilbert the Bat Bat Conservation & Rescue Qld Inc
@BatConRescueQld
gilbert_the_bat
Bat Conservation & Rescue
Qld Events
Gilbert the Bat