Open Access
How to translate text using browser tools
2 June 2021 Issues in bat (Chiroptera) treatment and rehabilitation: the scale of the problem, reasons and effects of interventions
Katarzyna A. Thor, Wojciech Bielecki
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Bats are the second most numerous group of mammals in the world, after rodents. About 1,400 species have been described, of which 27 occur in Poland. All bats found in Poland are subject to strict species protection. Therefore, activities related to detention, including the treatment of injured, ill, or malnourished individuals, require appropriate permits. Caring for these mammals also requires knowledge of the biology and ecology of native species. Surveys were conducted in Polish wildlife rehabilitation centres, as well as among bat workers. The described interventions took place from September 2015 to September 2017. During this period, a total of 962 bats were taken under care. Most of the specimens required feeding and/or watering (645 specimens), 137 specimens suffered from injuries and/or diseases, 97 specimens were given emergency care, 77 specimens were taken from the environment without justified cause, and six specimens were born in captivity. Most of the interventions (760 individuals) resulted in the bats being released, 84 individuals remained under treatment or rehabilitation, 69 died, and a further 49 were euthanized. Statistical analysis showed a difference in the reasons for intervention and the intervention outcome between the care provided by rehabilitation centres and bat workers.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commnons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited.
Katarzyna A. Thor and Wojciech Bielecki "Issues in bat (Chiroptera) treatment and rehabilitation: the scale of the problem, reasons and effects of interventions," Journal of Vertebrate Biology 70(2), 21013.1-7, (2 June 2021). https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.21013
Received: 23 February 2021; Accepted: 4 May 2021; Published: 2 June 2021
KEYWORDS
bat workers
care
disease
injuries
protection
threats
Back to Top