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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A man in Warsaw received a surprise when he discovered that a colony of bats had moved into a pair of shoes he had left on his balcony. Local animal services, who were called out to help, believe they had planned to hibernate for the winter.<\/p>\n Municipal police\u00a0officers specialising in nature-related issues, known as Ekopatrol, were called out by a man who had reported bats inhabiting his balcony.<\/p>\n That in itself would not have been unusual. But, when they arrived on the scene, \u201cthe sight they encountered surprised them\u201d, wrote the police. \u201cThe shoes on the balcony were swarming with bats\u201d \u2013 around 20 in total.<\/p>\n Czy nietoperze mog\u0105 spa\u0107 w butach?! \ud83d\udc5f \u2014 Stra\u017c Miejska m.st. Warszawy (@SMWarszawa) November 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cProtecting themselves from the cold, they had found a rather unusual hiding place. The sight of the small, winged mammals huddled together could have been heartwarming, but it was not the best or safest place for them to hibernate.\u201d<\/p>\n The officers therefore carefully removed the animals and relocated them to Warsaw City Forests, a complex of forests located in the city, where they are now being cared for by specialists.\u00a0<\/p>\n Given the difficulty of removing the bats from the shoes without harming or stressing them, the man agreed to \u201csacrifice his shoes for the sake of the peace of the unusual guests nesting within\u201d, wrote the offices, who praised him for his \u201cempathy\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bats regularly seek shelter during Poland\u2019s cold winters, often hibernating from mid-November to March, notes National Geographic Polska. This allows them to survive when insects, their main source of food, are scarce.<\/p>\n While often the animals hibernate in natural environments, such as caves and hollows in trees, they also sometimes take shelter in man-made structures, like tunnels and basements.<\/p>\n \u201cIn recent years, bats have been invading Warsaw apartments for the winter,\u201d B\u0142a\u017cej Wojtowicz, president of the Polish Bat Protection Society, told\u00a0National Geographic. \u201cIn February, I personally pulled over 60 bats out from under a windowsill because a tenant couldn\u2019t sleep \u2013 they were squeaking constantly.\u201d<\/p>\n He identified the bats in the latest incident as common noctule bats. In the past, that species would not hibernate in Poland, instead migrating long distances to warmer regions of Europe in winter. However, their behaviour has recently changed, and the bats now commonly remain in Poland year-round.<\/p>\n A man returned to his apartment after a long absence to find that 18 bats had taken up residence, with most of them in a state of hibernation on a pile of pillows next to his bed.<\/p>\n The animals have been safely moved to a wildlife rehabilitation centre https:\/\/t.co\/NKkPEGo02A<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) December 7, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n
W\u0142a\u015bnie to zobaczy\u0142 w\u0142a\u015bciciel mieszkania z ul. Klaudyny, kt\u00f3ry wezwa\u0142 stra\u017cnik\u00f3w miejskich, gdy w jego “sneakersach” na balkonie ukry\u0142o si\u0119 oko\u0142o 20 wtulonych w siebie \ud83e\udd87.
Sprawd\u017a szczeg\u00f3\u0142y: \u2198\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/ArLVsATMTM<\/a>#Bielany<\/a> #Ekopatrol<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3FRsQ6b5cH<\/a><\/p>\n
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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