Found a Bat

1) If possible, rescue the animal.

For this you should only touch the animal with a cloth and carefully place it with the cloth in a box (with very small air holes). Close the box very well.

2) IMPORTANT please, contact immediately a bat expert for help!

Even if the animal is supposedly fit and unhurt, please contact a bat expert immediately.

In order to be able to assess injuries and weaknesses, it requires veterinary experience. Even with severe injuries, the animals may appear to be fit, but they desperately need lifesaving medical help. 

Contrary to the first impression, the bats in these photos are not dead. Bats can pretend to be dead in case of danger with the aim that possible attackers lose interest in them. This dead spot can last up to 10 minutes, in rare cases longer. Please note that if you find a supposedly dead bat, you must first salvage it. To do this, you should only touch the animal with a cloth and carefully place the cloth in a cardboard box (with very small air holes). Close the box very well and keep it at room temperature. Please contact a bat-rescue immediately at https://www.bund-fledermauszentrum-hannover.de/fledermaus-gefunden/found-a-bat/ After about 15 minutes, please carefully open the box and check whether the bat's position has changed or it moves again. If so, please take the bat to the nearest foster home. If the bat's position has not changed, please try carefully to open the wing a little. If the wing is movable, it means that the bat is only in a coma, but still alive. In this case, the bat immediately needs medical help in a care station (see link "found a bat" above). If the wing can no longer be opened and rigor mortis has set in, the bat has unfortunately died.

Bats are always released back to the wild at the location, where they were found. So it is very important that the bat expert gets notified of the location.