Recovering bats get flying lessons

This 14 February 2013 is called Peter Twisk – Monitoring Nathusius’ pipistrelle with the use of bat boxes?

Translated from Dutch Vroege Vogels radio:

Friday, November 11, 2016

Ecologist Peter Twisk is doing something very special: he trains bats to fly. At various places in the Netherlands there are rehab centres for injured bats. Often these are young animals which have lost their parents. Many of them are set free after recovery. Some young bats cannot fly properly. Therefore, Peter Twisk gives them ‘flying lessons’ in his own living room.

The radio this morning said Peter Twisk is the only person in the Netherlands doing that. At the moment, he has three bat ‘pupils’ in his home: a female lesser noctule bat which had been injured; her baby; and a serotine bat.

In the morning, when Peter Twisk eats his breakfast, the bats do so as well: mealworms.

Peter Twisk hopes he will be able to set the bats free in some weeks’ time.