A woman in Australia is walking along a stream. The bank is lined with trees and suddenly she hears a noise coming from one of them.
It sounds pitiful and desperate, like a squeaky wail. At first she only recognises a black spot, but then she realises who she sees.
Abandoned by the world
Up there, a small flying fox clings to a branch and cries.
Flying foxes belong to the bat family together with bats, but form a species-rich family of their own.
The little flying fox girl in the tree is all alone and that’s not right. She should be in her colony.
Instead, she’s hanging out there, abandoned by the world. Luckily, that’s about to change very quickly.
A little girl and a soft cloth
The woman immediately calls Townsville Bat Rescue. The president, C. J. Murphy comes in person to rescue the helpless creature.
So how do you get the frightened baby out of the tree? Mrs Murphy knows exactly what to do.
She has an extendable pole with her and a soft cloth is attached to the top end.
As soon as the cloth is within reach, the little one holds on to it and then safely reaches the ground.
Thirsty, but otherwise healthy
Mrs Murphy now takes the flying fox girl to the Townsville Bat Rescue site. The little one is given the name Peggy, and Peggy is above all very thirsty.
This problem is quickly solved with plenty of fluids. Apart from that, Peggy is in surprisingly good health.
She now has to do what all small children have to do: grow. She now has all the time she needs to do this in a well-protected environment.
The way back to freedom
Peggy is not immediately placed in the enclosure of her conspecifics, who are being prepared for her imminent return to the wild. She is still too small.
The move is planned for February. In March or April she will be big and strong enough for freedom. We all wish you the best of luck, Peggy!
Source: The Dodo
