Bat rehabilitation centre
Each year up to 200 grounded bats are brought to Kent Bat Group (KBG) for rehabilitation. These bats are often victims of human activities such as pesticide use and loss of habitats and roosts. They are also vulnerable to being caught by domestic cats which can cause serious injuries.
The flight cage provides a safe space for test flying injured adult bats to ensure they will survive when returned to the wild. Exercising can increase blood flow, speed up healing and improve stamina.
Orphaned pups are able to practise flying, echolocation and insect catching skills before release. This has been shown to increase long term survival rates of hand-reared bats.
The flight cage has a fine mesh to allow small insects such as mosquitoes and midges to enter. In addition, there is a small pond to allow mosquitoes to breed and a compost bin to encourage small flies, providing natural food for the bats. A heated bat box, located at the far side of the cage, provides a warm and dry roosting area.
As bats are nocturnal they will be hidden from view in the bat boxes during the daytime. However, during warm weather, you may see us test flying a bat in the flight cage during the afternoon.
Bat talks, events and courses are also given by our conservation team where visitors to Wildwood are able to learn about the work of KBG, the flight cage and bat ecology.
Look out for these on our Facebook page, talks board or in our courses and events programmes.
If you’ve found a grounded bat it will need urgent help. Please CLICK HERE to visit the KBG website for further information or phone the conservation team on 01227 711471.
