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Bats Wildlife Conservation Society Presents... Bats in Captivity Online ©1995 by Susan Barnard |
Chapter Eleven
CONDITIONING BATS FOR PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS
Whether a bat is wild, handraised or born in captivity, it will bite. Wild bats bite in
self-defense, and handraised bats bite for a variety of reasons. For example, they may
become frightened when handled by someone with whom they are unfamiliar, or when they
are restrained for long periods. Large species of fruit bats (e.g., Pteropus) are also
capable of inflicting deep scratches with their claws. Most bats, however, tame easily.
They must be allowed the opportunity to adjust to handlers before they are used in animal
demonstrations. More importantly, handlers should never demonstrate a bat until they feel
confident in their ability to maintain control over the animal. FIGURES 97 and 98 show the
proper methods for holding bats during demonstrations.
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| Figure 97. An
easy method to secure a small bat while showing it to an audience. A) front view; B) back view (photos courtesy of Gregory C. Greer,
Marietta, GA) |
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Figure 98. The best way to support the weight of a large flying fox (photo courtesy of Catherine Strenbergh, Atlanta, GA) |
Some lecturers avoid handling bats altogether. They incorporate the animal(s) into
educational displays (FIGS. 99-101). Although this method is less "thrilling" to the
audience, it is also less stressful to the animal, and the chance of animal injury is reduced
considerably.
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Figure 101. Combination transport carrier/exhibit. This is a modification of the transport container shown in Figure 16, Chapter 4. A) two small carrier-top doors, rather than one large one, allows the worker better control over the bats when manipulating them in and out of the carrier; B) shows how the audience may view the bats without them being handled (photo courtesy of Chewonkee Foundation, Wiscasset, ME). |
When conditioning bats for demonstrations, handle them twice daily in a quiet, safe
area. Opportune times include the morning during cage cleaning, and in the evening just
before they are fed. Each taming or calming session should last from 5 to 30 minutes,
depending on the individual bat's tolerance for handling.
When taming [heterothermic] bats, place the palm of the hand against the animal's
body while it is resting on its perch. In this way the bat will not be awakened suddenly,
causing it to bite in fear. Allow the bat to wiggle freely under the hand until it is warm to
the touch. With a soft cloth, remove the bat slowly from its perch. Do not jerk the feet free
of the perch and be sure the wings are folded properly under the cloth; bats are very
delicate animals and their bones break easily. Once the bat is under control in the cloth,
maintain that control while stroking it with an ungloved hand.
| Avoid holding a bat while delivering a lecture. Rather, concentrate on maintaining control over the animal. First complete the program, then show the audience the living specimen. It is inappropriate to allow anyone from the audience to handle a bat. NEVER allow a bat to fly during a program unless, of course, it is secured in an appropriate flight cage or exhibit booth (FIG. 102) for the species. To minimize stress to the bat, limit its demonstration time to 5 or 10 minutes daily. If more than one bat is available for demonstrations, rotate them. | 
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| People are very curious about the wings of bats. Rarely will a demonstration be
completed without one or more individuals asking to see the animal's wings. Although
spreading a bat's wing is not injurious to the animal, it so intensely dislikes having this
done that it may become a "biter." To prevent this, either obtain a taxidermist's mounted
specimen (FIG. 103), or use a photograph to show this feature.
Occasionally, bats react adversely to hand creams, perfumes, shaving lotions or other aromatic products. Avoid their use when handling any wild animal. |
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EXHIBITING
If displays are designed poorly, small, secretive bats cannot be seen by the public.
The ideal exhibit minimizes stress for the animals by providing adequate flight distance
from viewers, yet it also allows the animals to be seen. Exhibits should be sound-proofed
with glass fronts. Provide conspicuous graphics instructing, "Do Not Tap on Glass". An
exhibit design which has proven successful for big brown bats is depicted in FIGURES 104
to 105. This exhibit is also suitable for other species that roost in bat houses.
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Figure 104. |
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Figure 105. |
It is not uncommon for fighting to occur between males of many bat species. The
ideal sex ratio for compatible coexistence among most captive colonial bats is one male
to approximately 8 to 12 females. To prevent injuries, provide an appropriate number of
retreats for subdominant animals, or remove them entirely from the exhibit. Off-display
caging can be constructed as described in Chapter 5, ENVIRONMENT AND HOUSING
FOR ADULT BATS.
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Bats In Captivity
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by Tamara Romaine
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