Tolga Bat Hospital in Atherton, Queensland, Australia | Environmental conservation organisation

Tolga Bat Hospital

Locality: Atherton, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 7 4091 2683

Address: 134 Carrington Rd 4883 Atherton, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.tolgabathospital.org

Likes: 22760

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• Non-profit organisation
• Arts and entertainment
• Environmental conservation organisation
• Wildlife sanctuary

25.01.2022 At this time of year, we go out to the forest each day to search for bats who have fallen. They have been paralysed by the powerful neurotoxin injected by the paralysis tick. Many of them are mums who have a newborn baby attached who is perfectly healthy. We can treat the bats with a tick antitoxin however many are too far gone and need to be euthanised. The babies end up in our nursery and are raised then released by February. Spot the baby still attached to its mum in this pic #spectacledflyingfox #endangeredspecies #animalwelfare #tickparalysis #wildlifecare #tolgabathospital #orphans #athertontablelands #queensland

16.01.2022 Toilet time! Our babies are learning how to hang and go to the toilet like an adult. They hold on with their thumbs, let go with their feet so their bottom faces the ground and do their business. A quick shake at the end and all is done #spectacledflyingfox #endangeredspecies #wildlife #bats #megabats #pteropus #athertontablelands #tolgabathospital #wildliferescue #toilettraining

14.01.2022 They grow up so fast! Our biggest babies have been moved to an outdoor cage where they get to eat fruit for the first time. Theyre still getting fed lots of milk. Also a little lie-down if they want it (or we think they need it )

14.01.2022 Meet proud mum Kahilda and her baby Jesse who were rescued off a barbed wire fence last weekend. Barbed wire fencing is the number one reason this species comes into care. This one had an extra special little package attached. We have hope that Kahilda’s wings will heal and she will be able to be released #tubenosedfruitbat #bats #fruitbat #megabats #wildlifefriendlyfencing #tolgabathospital #athertontablelands #babybats

14.01.2022 It is very important to keep an eye on the fences when driving around a rural area. Yesterday we had 15 bats off barbed wire. Many were called in very late in the evening, meaning they had been exposed to the elements all day. Only 2 survived. We are grateful that we were able to ease their suffering, but it is a little heartbreaking. With over 250 babies in care as well it was a very busy day!

14.01.2022 First tree lettuce harvest! Bobby and her Baby Approve. A much anticipated feature of the new cage is this wildlife safe garden bed. We already grow Fiddlewood and Mulberry leaves for the permanent residents and can now add a third leafy green to the menu!

12.01.2022 We now have over 200 babies in care and more coming in every day. While there is a lot to get done, our invaluable volunteers are doing an amazing job. They work day and night to make sure all the babies are fed, cleaned and loved up. If you are new to our page, please remember to check out our website. You can find out why we have so many orphans and much more information about our beautiful bats.

12.01.2022 After a fairly typical September, we are left with 59 dead Little Red Flying Foxes from barbed wire fences. Their bodies are being saved to assist in researching protozoan trypanosoma parasites. We were waiting for intake to slow down before we start releasing, indicating its safer out there for them. We had 43 ready for release, which we started last weekend. Theres still 15 still in acute care, whether they will be releasable is yet to be determined. ... We are still getting more rescues, these numbers were accurate last week and we have had a few more since then. If you would like to reduce the impact of your fence please visit www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com

11.01.2022 Happy Halloween from us all at TBH. With over 100 babies in care many are learning how to use self feeder bottles like little Lupita who has been a star student #bats #tolgabathospital #spectacledflyingfox #endangeredspecies #megabats #halloween #athertontablelands #queensland

05.01.2022 We've done really well for volunteers this season despite not getting our regular international people. Meet the current team, minus one. We have the cyclists, the Germans, the film-makers, the Americans and the relatives. Still a few places for the rest of the season if anyone wants a full immersion bat experience. About 115 pups in care at the moment.

03.01.2022 The paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) kills many endangered Spectacled flying foxes at this time of year. The tick injects a powerful neurotoxin that paralyses the bat making it fall to the ground. This poor boy was found with two fully engorged ticks and was unable to be saved. Most native Australian ground dwelling animals have an immunity to the tick as they have been in contact with it for a very long time. It is thought that the SFF’s have o...nly been coming into contact with the tick since the 1980’s due to a change in feeding behaviour. The bats have been feeding lower on an introduced weed called wild tobacco and getting the ticks while they feeding closer to the ground. Despite having ticks and flying foxes all along the east coast of Australia, the Atherton Tablelands is the only place we know of where bats are affected on such a large scale #spectacledflyingfox #endangeredspecies #bats #megabats #tickparalysis #athertontablelands #fnq #queensland #paralysistick See more

02.01.2022 At this time of year we check the colony daily to search for bats affected by tick paralysis and their newborn pups who are orphaned or still clinging to their sick mum. While searching you need to have heightened senses to listen for or look for fallen bats who camouflage very well with the leaf litter #spectacledflyingfox #endangeredspecies #bats #megabats #athertontablelands #queensland #tolgabathospital #bathospital #orphan #wildlife #wildlifecare

01.01.2022 It's tube-nosed city here at the moment. We have 2 mums with pups who've come in off barbed wire in the last week, and one who has been in care for a while who is very pregnant. This is mum and pup#1 with the pup's head and thumb in the hole of the damaged wing.