VOLUNTEERING FOR BATS' BENEFIT!
OOH! - That would be the 'Out of Hours' Helpline. Just don't call it the Bat-phone!
OOH! - That would be the 'Out of Hours' Helpline. Just don't call it the Bat-phone!
0845 1300 228
Having come across
the Bat Conservation Trust's Out of Hours Helpline through my work at BBC News
and on realising they were crewing up I thought 'perfect'!
You can offer as
many or as few evenings or weekends you have available a month and rotas are
drawn up on a month by month basis and can be flexible if needed.
Who could resist helping this fellow?
So I responded to the email address posted on www.bats.org.uk and having chatted with Sabah, the
Out of Hours Project Co-ordinator, signed up for a trip to the bat cave,
otherwise known as the Bat Conservation Trust Offices, for an evening's
training with Sabah and Jess (Bat Care Network Co-ordinator).
After the talks and
powerpoints, and a session using the super straightforward internet based
computer systems, I left the offices fully briefed on the systems, up to speed
on all aspects of bat care advice and raring to go.
A folder packed
full of reminder info under my arm I headed home. For home is where the help
is...
Manning the 'bat-phone' - D'oh!
As an Out of Hours Volunteer
you commit to being at home, in front of a computer for your shift - typically
during the week it's from 5.30pm to 11 pm one evening and then from 7 am to
9am the next morning - or during the day, or evenings at weekends. You have a
member of staff to whom you can turn if you get any particularly tricky calls
(for example if anyone is scratched, bitten or reports a suspected foreign bat
landing in the UK) but the basics are wonderfully simple.
Calls to the
Helpline get diverted to the phone number you provide (my mobile has never been
so busy!) so you pick up your phone and you're off. You log on to the computer
system that guides you through important information to get from the caller and
reminds you of the key messages you should pass on and then you log into BCT's
most prized system of all, the Bat Care Network.
The charity could
not provide the bat care help without this network of wonderful individuals who
permit BCT to either give out their numbers or to be contacted in the event of
a bat needing help in their locality.
The carers on the
list are dotted right around the UK and entries outline availability and what
they can and can't undertake in terms of bat care. As a helpline volunteer you
take the call and after chatting to the individual who has rung you to
establish what help they need you either offer the advice or put them in touch
with their local carers - job done!
Obviously it's not
quite that simple. Each call is different and you meet some wonderful people on
the end of the phone. Sometimes callers are concerned only with the welfare of
the bat that's in trouble, and want to know what they can do to help, sometimes
they are scared themselves, troubled by their visitor or letting you know of
someone boarding up a roost site or chopping down a tree. Bat roosts are
protected by law and we have an Investigations Officer who assists in
investigating and reporting bat crime to the Police to whom we refer such calls.
The Out of Hours
service is an emergency service so general routine queries are logged or asked
to call back during the BCT's working hours - but no one goes away
unassisted!
The Emergency calls
can come through in fits and starts and its often noticeable how bat activity
seems to happen in geographical areas on a given evening - one night you will
get a lot of calls from a rural part of Scotland, another week it could be south Wales that most folk call from - it makes you think the bats are chatting
with one-another and picking their times to get into trouble! You can have
evenings when it barely rings and other nights when it's relentless!
I've taken calls on
bats in hairdressers, hallways of homes, behind hanging baskets, from a parade ground in an army
barracks, a school and high rise block of flats in west London. If you find a
bat out and about in the daytime it's usually in trouble and always worth
giving us a call. I love it when I get a call back to update me on progress or
resolution - and get to hear some lovely stories of successful releases!
Last summer there
were a few calls of bats flying around in homes, having flown in through an
open door or window (presumably following insects attracted by the lights).
They get in a flap when in doors with lights, noise and people and pets. The
best instant advice if a bat is flying around a room is to close the interior
doors, get folk out of the way, turn off lights and noisy radios and TVs and
open the windows. Bats inside are trying
to get out and this often allows them the space to find their way out!
Cats have been at
the bottom of most of the calls I worked on over last summer - either bringing
in bats as 'gifts' for their owners or being seen stalking an injured, grounded bat.
With a cat-caused injury a bat will need specialist care - and probably antibiotics - so it's one that we will always refer to a carer to administer help.
With a cat-caused injury a bat will need specialist care - and probably antibiotics - so it's one that we will always refer to a carer to administer help.
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Basic bat care advice is always given to the caller, to contain the bat (if it's not flying) and meet its immediate needs (namely popping it in a well ventilated box with a lid, with a towel in which to snuggle and a few drops of water to drink in a lid from something like a milk carton) and they are always asked to handle the bat as little as possible, and always use gloves if they are going to. You don't want to hurt yourself or the bat and while bats seldom bite or scratch there is a very small risk of a rabies-like virus from handling an infected bat (which is itself extremely rare - very few bats have tested positive for this virus in the last 20 years of testing).
It's always lovely
when folk engage and want to learn about bats - for some it’s their first
encounter with these lovely little mammals –
it’s often the start of a new interest and people often ask for leaflets and
information about bats to be sent to them. Most people are astonished at how
small they are and how cute!
I have chatted with
lovely people, helped hundreds of bats through the advice I've given or the
experts I've put in touch with bats in need. It's been a great volunteer
experience and one which will suit even the relatively time poor wildlife
lover! You get to help some fabulous people and some magical mammals! I also ended up moving to BCT in a different
role after I had started as a volunteer so it’s not just the bats’ lives that
you get to change for the better!
Abi McLoughlin Out of Hours Volunteer 2013
Abi McLoughlin Out of Hours Volunteer 2013
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JUST IN CASE YOU EVER NEED IT
: 0845 1300 228
BASIC BAT CARE:1. Contain the bat:a)
Like a spider, by placing a box on top of it and sliding a piece of card
underneath.b) alternatively, cover the bat with a cloth/teatowel and carefully
scoop it up and place it in the box.2. Put a tea towel or soft cloth in
the box for the bat to hide in.3. Put in a small, shallow container e.g. a
plastic milk bottle top with a few drops of water (not
enough for the bat to drown in). Make sure the water is topped up regularly.4.
Keep the bat indoors somewhere quiet and dark5. Most importantly, call
the Bat Helpline on 0845 1300 228 for local bat carer
numbers.Only a bat that has been confirmed as fit and healthy by a
bat carer should be released, and never during the day. Always
wear gloves if handling a bat. Tell someone immediately if you are bitten or
scratched.
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