It was a faint sound that ultimately saved a life.
The other day, a resident of a high-rise apartment building in Melbourne, Australia, was at home when a strange noise struck their ears. It was a banging sound emanating from a vacant unit next door.
Concerned, the resident alerted the building’s manager, who then opened the neighboring apartment to investigate. That’s when they noticed something — or rather, someone — was outside on the balcony.
Fly By Night Bat Clinic Victoria
Moving in for a closer look, they saw this — a young flying fox, who’d sadly become stranded.
Because bats are unable to take flight from the ground, he’d been struggling in vain to reach a higher position up the balcony’s sleek railing.
Fly By Night Bat Clinic Victoria
Before long, rescuers from Fly By Night Bat Clinic were on the scene to assist. For clinic founder Tamsyn Hogarth, this is an all-too-common predicament that bats find themselves in through no fault of their own.
“He likely was blown into the balcony with wind gusts around the high-rise buildings,” Hogarth told The Dodo. “He then got trapped, as there is no way to escape.”
Fortunately, thanks to the neighbor’s refusal to ignore the strange sounds from next door, this bat had been discovered in time to be saved.
Fly By Night Bat Clinic Victoria
“He was very lucky to have been found,” Hogarth said. “Otherwise, he likely would have died.”
But instead, the bat was wrapped in cozy blankets and lavished with grapes to regain his strength.
Fly By Night Bat Clinic Victoria
Back at Fly By Night Bat Clinic, the juvenile grey-headed flying fox was given a thorough examination — and even more grapes.
But his stay would only be temporary.
Fly By Night Bat Clinic Victoria
“He was only 12 weeks old and was OK, so we wanted him to go back to his mother in camp,” Hogarth said, referring to the known bat colony where he’d originated from.
The bat rescued from the balcony would soon be going home.
Fly By Night Bat Clinic Victoria
Volunteers then drove the bat to his familial camp, where, amid the chorus of chirps and squeaks from the colony, he would have been able to recognize his mother’s unique call.
And off he flew.
Fly By Night Bat Clinic Victoria
“He’s doing very well!” Hogarth said, noting that this bat was just one of several hundred rescued by Fly By Night each year.
Hogarth hopes that this bat’s serendipitous discovery on the high-rise balcony will raise awareness of the dangers bats face due to similar strandings. Simple solutions on the part of both building developers and residents could save countless lives.
“If you live in a high-rise, please check unused balconies and consider how access points might unintentionally trap wildlife. Please place something to allow them to climb out,” Fly By Night wrote in a post. “This is preventable. We just need awareness and action.”
To learn more about their lifesaving work, and to find out how you can help, visit Fly By Night Bat Clinic’s website here.
Rescuer Notices Black Blob On Edge Of Pool And Finds ‘Exhausted’ Wild Animal“[She] struggled for quite a while …”