A bat's best friend: Wildlife rehabilitation workers, Regina firefighters rescue 14 furry flyers

It was a "look but don't touch" scenario for curious children at Campus Regina Public School's daycare, when they came across more than two dozen big brown bats on the playground last week.

Luckily, Salthaven West wildlife rescue and City of Regina firefighters arrived to save both the children and the bats from each other.

"We've never, to my knowledge — and I've been here a long time — rescued bats. That would be a first," said Deputy Chief Dave Kinvig of Regina Fire and Protective Services.

He also noted the timely conincidence of the rescue — Oct. 24-31 is Bat Week.

The 1st rescue call

The bats were discovered hanging alongside the school's outer walls, and Salthaven staff speculated they used to hibernate inside the building. Bats are loyal to their hibernation stations, and the school's roof was recently rebuilt.

Rescuers think they decided to give the outside a try.

Staff at Campus Regina Public School made the initial rescue call to Salthaven around Oct. 17. School employees were concerned children might be able to reach the bats where they decided to hibernate.

Salthaven West's director, Megan Lawrence, and a volunteer managed to rescue six of the bats last Friday. But the school's ladder wasn't long enough to reach the remaining eight furry creatures.

"The staff was just really excited that someone was there and doing something about it,"  said Lawrence. "No one knew what to do. They were worried."

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Cue the fire rescue

Staff called the fire department on the weekend. Crews arrived with bat-rescue equipment — a giant ladder — on Wednesday.

Fully clad in firefighter gear, crew members managed to save the tiny mammals, who were already in hibernation and covered in spider webs.

"All we really did was bring the ladder," said Kinvig. "Salthaven is really amazing, and has a great story."

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The 14 bats will now safely overwinter at Salthaven. All the winged mammals will be set free in the spring when hibernation season is over and bat experts deem the release is safe.

The Saskatchewan Science Centre will continue running its bat rescue program this year.