Forest Voices of India

A Great Indian fruit bat in the wild

Over two years ago, in April of 2020, two Giant Indian Fruit Bats were rescued from Bangaluru City, in south India, and brought to the WRRC (Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre).

Both are males that weighed 390 grams and 410 grams (nearly one pound each).

The Covid 19 pandemic had just begun, and sadly, along with it, came false rumors that the disease was being spread by bats.

Worldwide, some people responded with cruelty toward bats. Bats are, of course, beneficial to the natural world, not harmful.

One of the bats had been kept, inappropriately, as a pet, but was promptly released with the advent of covid.

The other bat was wild and had been attacked and injured by people who mistakenly thought that bats can cause covid.

Both bats were left injured. They have irreversible wing injuries and are unable to fly, so they cannot be released back to the wild.

They are quiet, shy creatures who enjoy hiding in safe places. Dr. Roopa Satish, the Head Wildlife Rehabilitator, along with the staff of the WRRC have created a number of special safe hiding places for them. They are housed together and have become good friends.

They are given a wide variety of fruit, which they really enjoy. Their time is spent watching the activity in the forest and in the sky, of birds and other wild creatures.

In the wild, fruit bats are very social animals that enjoy living together in large social groups. They sleep during the day and wake up at twilight to begin to fly in search of food. An amazing sight to watch as they soar past the trees with their huge wings stretched out; their wing span is about five feet.

Like mammals generally, fruit bats are not natural fliers. They can fly only when they take off from a height, but if they get stranded on the ground, they can’t just take off again, but first need to climb a tree and then after reaching the top will be able to take off in flight.

When they are resting, fruit bats hang upside down. A good sense of smell helps them with locating fruit trees. They also see well and have good hearing, but they are missing the sonar that insect-eating bats have.

Thankfully, these two bats were rescued by kind people and then cared for by the WRRC. They’re able to live their lives in peace and security in the re-assuring presence of the nearby forest and each other.

Photo credit: Praveenp, CC BY -sa 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

How you can help

You can help the orphaned or injured wildlife at the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre near Bangalore, India, where so many wild animals are cared for. Thanks to the expertise of the WRRC veterinarians and caregivers, most can be released to live out their lives in freedom back in their wild habitat.

Please find the donate button on the right, at the top. Thank you for giving!