Wiley is a Grey headed flying fox, and came to me in 1999 after his mother was electrocuted on power lines. He was a real character - always into trouble. His favourite pastime was pulling the ornaments off the Christmas tree! Wiley has now been released and sometimes, at night when I watch the local bats fly overhead, I wonder if one of them is 'my' Wiley. 
Here's that rascal 'Wiley' again! 
When handraised Flying Foxes reach a certain age they go to what we call a 'creche'- basically it's the bat equivalent of kindergarten. Its where they get to be with other handraised bats and discover that the world does not really revolve around them, and to develop the social skills they will need to survive in the colony. These are some of the babies from the January 2001 creche. 
'Ben' has a sad story to tell. He was raised by a friend of mine after he fell from his mother into a bucket of fertilizer; which ate away one ear and his wing tips. He was in a sorry state when he first came into care, but he has has now made a full recovery and will be released with the other 'babies'. I think his missing ear gives him a rather suave look that the girls are just going to love! |
