Last week, the specialists of Feldman Ecopark Centre of Cheiroptera Rehabilitation took 637 bats from Karlivka (Poltava oblast). The animals settled down for hibernation in the local school during the renovation of windows.
The Centre’s deputy head, Ph.D. Olena Prylutska told that the rescue of bats was carried out by the chemistry teacher and the students. During several days, they got 630 Kuhl’s pipistrelles, 4 common noctules and 3 parti-coloured bats out of slits. After that, they contacted Feldman Ecopark Centre of Cheiroptera Rehabilitation.
“It is a record number of bats, which were gathered outside Kharkiv. All of them were taken to the Centre, where the workers measured, ringed and sorted them during the whole night. There are 300 bats in the Cenre, which are currently fed, and 700 bats more are in the fridges already. We are already short of hands, fridges and places for feeding,” Olena Prylutska tells.
After the hibernation in the Centre of Cheiroptera Rehabilitation, in the end of March or in the beginning of April, the rescued bats will be released to the nature. According to Olena Prylutska, the animals will be possibly taken back to Karlivka, where they lived before this winter. However, due to the fact that the familiar hibernation sites will be closed for them after the renovation of school, we are considering the installation of special little houses for the bats.
It should be reminded that the Centre of Cheiroptera Rehabilitation of Feldman Ecopark is the first similar institution in Ukraine. It was established in 2013. In addition to the rescue of bats, the Centre carries out an active scientific and educational activity. Since its opening, the specialists and the volunteers of the Centre rescued more than 5,000 bats.
