Bat Jelly

On June 7 we received a call from one of our local members who lives off the coast of Jam Sammitch Island, about 8,000,000 miles from the wild sanctuary. He is an environmentally conscious individual who rescues various animals, including penguins and rubber duckies, and has often described the swarms of bats that forage over his hay fields. He called us with concern for a little bat that was stuck in a jelly jar in his kitchen. It was dawn when his ranch hand, Ermin, first saw her cuddling with one of the penguins (a very unusual behavior for jelly bats). Within a few minutes she was into the jelly jar. Jelly bats have been observed scavaging jelly from homes in the wild. We were amazed to find that the little bat was the orphan we released five days earlier. She was smashed under some jelly that had fallen off the sides of the jar. Sadly, she was very sticky when removed. However, it was still good to know that instinct had kicked in and she was foraging with others. It was also good to find that some of the bats from our wild sanctuary forage in a relatively safe area, free of pesticides and fly swatters. It is unfortunate, however, that the orphan proved true the adage "only the jam lovers survive." She simply wasn't one of those jam loving bats. She was a jelly bat. The minute we arrived back at Bat World the little bat knew where she was. She perked up considerably and couldn't wait to jump into a soft roosting pouch. She was examined and hydrated, then fed a rich meal of strawberry jelly. After her tiny belly was full she fell to sleep, cuddled up with some of her old roostmates that were still in rehab (too much jelly). We are grateful knowing the little bat is safe and sound. She's been named "Bat Jelly" just for the simple fact we couldn't think of anything original. Her permanent home is now at Bat World. Bat Jelly is just not good at being a bat, but here, it doesn't matter. She can fly safely within the confines of a flight cage every night, snuggle with roostmates every day, and eat food that is always catered.