FOUND
A BAT
What do I do if I've found an injured bat?
If you find a bat on the ground or outside in the open during the hours of daylight it’s likely that it needs help.
What to do
Get a container with a lid, about the size of an ice cream or margarine tub and put some ventilation holes in it. Add some kitchen roll in the bottom crumpled in one corner, this will make the bat feel safer and it will probably crawl into it to hide away, next put some water into a bottle top or the foil top off a milk bottle and place it in the box, there’s no need to put any food in.
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Wearing a mask and with gloved hands or using a soft cloth gently place the bat into the box or tub with and keep it in a warm place.
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If you do not feel you can handle the bat please cover it with the box or tub so it is safe from predators until help arrives.
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The bat group has bat rehabilitators that can rescue and release grounded or injured bats found in East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire.
What if the bat is injured
Call National Bat Helpline 0345 1300 228 they will be able to tell you if there is a bat rehabilitator in the local area. If not, take the bat to the vet.
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Please make sure the vet has all the details of where the bat was found, contact details, so that after rehabilitation the bat can be released in the habitat it is familiar with.
I have bats in my house
If you have bats flying in your house in the evening they are looking for an escape route. Bats are usually very good at finding their way around in the dark but sometimes they can make a mistake and end up being trapped. Between mid-July and mid-August young bats are learning to fly and are just getting used to using their echolocation skills. After hunting they can find themselves crawling into a hole which they think will take them back to their roost but find themselves inside a house by mistake.
The Bat Conservation Trust advises NEVER try to catch a flying bat – you are likely to injure it severely and it may even bite in self defence.
The best thing to do is to close the door, open the windows as wide as possible and dim the lights and the bat should be able to find its own way out of the room. If it doesn’t manage to do this then it will roost in the room and wait for the dusk on following evening and try again.
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If you are not sure that the bat has gone and want to check, the most likely places for a bat to roost are the folds of curtains, behind picture frames and high places where a bat can roost out of the light however, bats have been found at lower levels on the bottom of chairs so you will need to check lower as well.
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If you are finding bats in your house a lot particularly baby bats it might be that you have a roost. It’s nothing to worry about lots of people share their roof space with bats.
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It may be that you have moved something in your loft that is preventing the bats from finding their way outside and they are trying to find an alternative way out. If you have you should go back into the loft and carefully move anything away especially if it is against an outside wall.
Contact the National Bat Helpline 0345 1300 228 if you need more information or would like a free volunteer roost visit enquiries@bats.org.uk
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The Bat Conservation Trust has really useful leaflets to download from its website. Click the link below to download their leaflet on Living with Bats.
I want to report my bat sightings
East Yorkshire Bat Group appreciate any data about bat sightings where you live. Once reported to our group recorder (Roger Curtis), the information is shared annually with the local data record centre (North and East Yorkshire Ecological Data Centre (NEYEDC)) and can be used for the purposes of scientific research, supporting planning applications or for general interest of those who apply for this data.
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Please report your sightings using the form below and submit directly to Roger Curtis at rogercurtis196@btinternet.com