NPR: Into the Wild: A Little Bat's Trip to, and from, Rehab

Into the Wild: A Little Bat's Trip to, and from, Rehab

On Wednesday night, I got to watch the little bat I found in December getting released back into the wild!

Leslie Sturges, who has been looking after the bat since NPR became a bit obsessed with it -- How does it survive this brutal cold? Why is it all alone? -- had pronounced Bat Mitzvah healthy and ready to return to full-time bat duties.

Leslie says the bat, a silver-haired female, is likely pregnant, though we weren't going to breach its privacy enough to find out for sure.

I visited Leslie's BatWorld NOVA (that's Northern Virginia for acronym-ophobes) on my bike a couple weeks ago and checked out the rehab process. That's her, holding the bat in the clip below. Soon, with Caitlin Kenney's help, we'll be posting more video -- including a clip from the release!

Bill Chappell

7:41 AM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Ok, guys I know I'm a day late (I listen to you on my iPod) but I needed to point something out. There was a comment made about if you were a mouse you might be afraid of Bat Mitzvah (or something like that) because she's a predator. Here's the thing: bats don't eat mice. They are around the same size as mice. Bats eat bugs, fruit (or blood), depending on the species.

But, "Bat Mitzvah, now you are a woman"? Absolute gold! Thanks for that.

Sent by Susie | 2:29 PM ET | 05-16-2008

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