Animal Welfare South Africa Project #55883

Help Feed Sick and Injured Wildlife

by Scales Conservation Fund NPC

Project Report | Mar 12, 2024
ReWild Patient Stories

By Amy Aucamp-Clark | Campaign Manager

Shanti

Tiffaney and Spartacus.

Tiffaney was brought to ReWild after she flew into somebody’s home and was caught by their cat. The owner immediately rescued the bat and brought her to the centre. A week later the team received a call from a vet to say they had been notified about a bat lying on the ground outside the local SPAR store. Knowing that it would take over half an hour to get there and that the bat was at risk of a passerby doing him harm, he needed to be rescued fast. They called Jason, Tiffany’s rescuer, who was not far from the SPAR store. Jason raced over to the store and rescued the little bat and kindly brought him to us. He was named Spartacus for obvious reasons. When the team introduced Spartacus to Tiffany they immediately took a shine to each other and have been best friends ever since. The two bats have recently bee weaned off their milk formula onto a diet of insects and they are now ready to begin the first stage of release preparation. Learning to do some short flights in an indoor enclosure before moving to a large outdoor flight enclosure for the final stages of release preparation.

Shanti, a delightful little girl weighing a mere 3g (0.1oz), lighter than a teaspoon of sugar. She is a juvenile Banana bat and, surprisingly, has already reached her adult size. Despite her small stature, Banana bats are insectivorous and do not consume bananas; however, they often seek refuge in furled-up banana leaves, giving them their name. Shanti was discovered on the ground beneath the palm tree where she and her family typically roost. Birds pose a threat to bats as tiny as Shanti, and there is suspicion that a bird may have dropped her just before her rescue. Shanti's body bears bruises, as well as holes and injuries to her wings. Fortunately, the holes in her wings are expected to heal rapidly, as the wing membrane of a bat is one of the fastest-healing mammalian tissues. Despite experiencing discomfort, Shanti displays a healthy appetite, a positive sign that leads the team to anticipate her full recovery.

Corvid, the Angolan Free-tailed bat with nine lives! Less than a kilometre from ReWild, Corvid found himself in a tough spot – thin and weak, with a pair of crows trying to finish him off. Angolan Free-tailed bats are one of our bigger species of insectivorous bats and have strong jaws and sharp teeth for crunching through hard insect exoskeletons. Corvid was not going to let the crows take him without a fight. Despite his valiant fight, the crows, being much larger, seemed to have the upper hand.

In a stroke of luck, Faunce, on her way back to ReWild, spotted the struggle. Two crows were attempting to carry off a small, flapping creature – Corvid. Without hesitation, she intervened, rescuing Corvid from his desperate situation. Now, Corvid, though a bit bruised with open wounds, a wing tear, and a broken finger, is on the road to recovery. Thanks to timely intervention, he received life-saving emergency fluids, wound treatment, a hearty dinner, and a cozy rest in a soft fleecy pouch. With some time to rest and heal, Corvid is expected to make a full recovery and will soon be released back into the wild.

A recent heatwave brought an unexpected influx of bats to ReWild! Among them, a group of 9 adorable Cape Serotine bat pups. While more than just 9 were found, some were joyfully reunited with their mothers, while others sadly didn't make it. Despite the challenges, these resilient little bats have adapted beautifully. They've already begun stretching their wings, building the muscles necessary for taking flight. Currently, they're comfortably settling in, but as they grow a bit more, they'll transition to an indoor flight enclosure. This phase will help them grasp the basics of flight before they embark on the final leg of their journey in the expansive outdoor flight enclosure, until they are ready to be released.

Your support means the world to us as we guide these precious bats toward their ultimate goal: a successful release back into the wild.

Ollie, a tiny Little free-tailed bat pup! Found on the ground, every effort to reunite him with his mother was made, but, unfortunately, his mom never returned to fetch him. Now, Ollie has found a safe haven at his new temporary home at @ReWild, where he's not only settled in but is thriving under their specialist care. As Ollie continues to mature, he will embark on a journey of preparation for release into the wild. The dedicated team will guide him through the necessary steps in their customized Free-tail flight enclosure, where he'll acquire all the essential skills needed for a successful return to his natural habitat.

Tiffaney and Spartacus

Corvid

9 Cape Serotine Bat Pups

Ollie

Back to all project reports

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.