This Rescued Bat Smiles For The Camera

Check out that smile! Meet Smiling Stanley the adult Goulds Wattled bat. He was found in a suburban backyard in Perth, Australia, and it would appear he had an accident in flight. He was taken into care by the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and handed over to expert bat carer Hecate.

At the time Stanley was underweight, so it seems he hadn’t been able to feed properly for a while. His huge appetite has returned and he has regained almost a third of his body weight in the last 10 days.

Stanley eats mealworms that have been gut-enriched with special insect booster. The mealworms are coated in a vitamin supplement powder and he will eat between 20-30 mealworms a day (or night.) Hecate hand feeds them to him via tweezers. All going to plan, once he can fly again he will be released.

Goulds Wattled bats are found across most of Australia and they live in tree hollows and beneath bark, and in buildings. They live for between 5 – 10 years.

The males tend to roost alone once they reach maturity but they will spend time with other males. All bats have a huge social network. They live their lives in the same territory and will often have a number of favorite roosts

All bat carers in Australia need to be vaccinated against Australian Bat Lyssavirus (similar to rabies) and have a fascination for caring for very small creatures with huge personalities, big teeth (and a bad rap).

Never pick up a grounded bat, this can be a sign of possible ABL. Call your local Wildlife Helpline to come collect. All bats have very sharp teeth and can deliver a nasty bite when frightened or restrained.

Stanley had a special photo shoot with world renowned animal photographer Alex Cearns of Houndstooth Studio. Alex says Stanley was a model subject, and even flashed a cheeky smile.