NEVER touch a bat! · PDF fileBats have the potential to carry Australian Bat LyssaVirus. Bats pictured in this publication are being handled by trained and vaccinated carers. Call

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

2

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).

3



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

4



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.

mailto:[email protected]






















5



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

6



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

7



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

8



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



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



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...

Do

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11



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



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



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.

http://www.discovertamborine.com.au/

http://www.discovertamborine.com.au/

14



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



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



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



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



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



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.

trove.nla.gov.au

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Ask%20Dr%20Deb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEapgvjDu7U&feature=youtu.be



20



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



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.

http://www.thetraveldoctor.com.au/?gclid=CMvD48G-u7kCFQgepQodvHQAug

http://www.thetraveldoctor.com.au



C:/Users/Paislie/Documents/Adobe

http://www.greencrossvet.com.au/Clinic-3/Chermside.aspx

http://www.greencrossvet.com.au/Clinic-3/Chermside.aspx

http://www.conosco.com.au/

http://www.vanillawebdesigns.com.au/

http://www.redland.qld.gov.au/Pages/home.aspx

http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/

http://www.rspcaqld.org.au/

http://www.vanillawebdesigns.com.au/

http://www.woolworths.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/webSite/Woolworths/

http://www.provet.com.au/

http://www.nature-connect.com.au

http://www.melcare.com/

http://www.melcare.com/

http://www.coles.com.au/

http://nature-connect.com.au/

http://www.rabybayvet.com.au/

http://www.rabybayvet.com.au/

22



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.

http://www.pinterest.com/gilbertthebat/

23



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



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


September Sunday 7th Threatened Species Day Queen Street Mall, Brisbane

Sunday 7th Orphan Babies Workshop RSPCA Conference Room, Wacol


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



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



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.

http://www.qt.com.au/news/families-connect-with-creeks/2270378/

http://www.cairnspost.com.au/lifestyle/cairns-divers-discover-batty-stow-away-on-board-tour-boat-70km-from-land/story-fnjpuwet-1226909746927



https://www.greenpeace.org.au/action/?cid=72&src=GP1

https://www.greenpeace.org.au/action/?cid=72&src=GP1

27



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.

http://bats.org.au/uploads/get-involved/JnrBatRangers-membership-form.pdf


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/habitat-the-game/id858068710?mt=8



28



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

[email protected]

Events Co-ordinator: Marg/Jo [email protected]

Media Enquiries: Katrina

[email protected]

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

http://www.bats.org.au










https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gilbert-the-Bat/49103314022

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bat-Conservation-Rescue-Qld-Inc/50142041444?ref=br_tf

https://twitter.com/BatConRescueQld

http://instagram.com/gilbert_the_bat

https://www.youtube.com/user/BatCareBrisbane

https://www.youtube.com/user/BatCareBrisbane

http://www.pinterest.com/gilbertthebat/