Calgary bookstore bat saved by Alberta wildlife group
A tiny and cold bat discovered roosting outside a Calgary bookstore late last week is recovering just fine thanks to an Alberta wildlife group.
The brown bat is in the care of rehab staff at the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) near Madden, about 45 minutes drive north of Calgary.
"He'll be staying with us over the winter," said staff member Rachel Swart. "We'll release him in the spring so he stays in isolation for a couple more weeks here and then he can go join the other little brown bat we have in care since they're very communal."
The Little Brown Myotis bat was spotted sleeping on the door of The Next Page bookstore in Inglewood. Co-owner Jeremy Shannon spotted it while cleaning up the front entrance.
A small bat clings to the door of The Next Page bookstore in Calgary.
"Just out there sweeping and I was going to sweep up the door and then I saw a little fluffy creature on the door," said Shannon. "I didn't know what it was until I actually got close to it I found that it was a bat and it was just you know, maybe half the size my hand.
"It was tiny."
A picture on Twitter shows a hand-made sign attached to the business's door warning people to open it carefully "as there is a bat sleeping on it."
Shannon said it was quite a novelty for customers, who didn't seem too squeamish.
"They just kept walking in," said Shannon. "Everyone's walking by taking pictures and was just being so gentle with the door."
AIWC staff said the bat likely got lost and the cold weather isn't good for the tiny creature. This species typically finds a cave, attic or barn to sleep for the winter.
"Tree bats like the silver hair bats fly south," said Swart. "This little guy would be going to the hibernaculum and so since we don't know where that is, he's staying here for the winter because there's no more bugs out."
The bat will feast on mealworms throughout the winter, indoors at the facility while the rest of his friends sleep for the winter.
This time of year AIWC sees many injured migratory birds who are hurt on their journey south.
"We were getting a lot of hawks the past few weeks because of the migration," said Swart. "All the juveniles aren't the best fliers, hitting cars and houses on their way out but right now there tends to be a lot of magpies or sometimes we'll get skunks that are just kind of finding their way now too and they can be hit by cars."
The facility relies mainly on donations to feed and care for injured animals.
Learn more about AIWC here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.