Australian Woman Cares for 600 Bats in Her Home. Photo: Instagram @reptileartist
The routine of Australian Rebecca Koller is quite demanding. She wakes up early and begins her day preparing food for nearly 600 bats that she keeps in her home, located in Kuranda, Queensland, in northeastern Australia.
She peels, chops, and distributes various types of fruit for her “babies,” as she affectionately calls her winged pets. After feeding them, she checks the condition of their wings, which takes up nearly the rest of her day.
Besides her time, Rebecca spends a lot of money as well. According to her, it costs about USD 1,000 (nearly BRL 4,000) per week just for the fruit.
In general, the bats that arrive at her home were rescued by her or by volunteers from the forests in the area where she lives. They are orphans who would have little chance of survival without help.
Once they gain strength and size, they are taken to a training area where they learn to fly. After this stage, they go to a kind of nursery, where they are prepared for release back into the wild.
Rebecca is not alone in this effort. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the country has 487 researchers, scientists, naturalists, environmental consultants, and caregivers dedicated to bats. In Brisbane, there is even a veterinary center specifically for this species.
The work of all these people helps to recover a population that suffered a major loss at the end of 2018. Due to an extreme heat wave, around 23,000 bats died in Queensland, nearly one-third of the state’s population.
Bats don’t deserve the reputation of bloodthirsty villains. They are essential to natural balance, especially in tropical forests. Like bees, they are efficient pollinators. Banana, mango, and cashew trees, for example, are pollinated exclusively by them. Additionally, they control insect populations, their primary food source.
Photo: Instagram @reptileartist. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
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