I stumbled upon the YouTube channel of a lady in Australia that rescues flying foxes (fruit bats), nurses them back to health and releases them back into the wild.

I've spent way more time tonight watching these videos than I care to admit.

I had no idea the bats were so big or so adorable.

I have watched a few of the videos.....that's all I'm going say about that.

Well cute little buggers I might add.

ARman

About a year ago I was thinking about installing a bat house. I found a video called 'Do Bats Make Good Pets?' Not just no but hell no.

Its noble of her to heal the bats and release.

African Fruit Bats aka Flying Foxes. If I remember correctly they are the largest flying mammals in the world, and unlike smaller bats they have good eyesight. And yes, they are as cute as flying puppies.

Super cute when small and eating those bananas.

Much less so when grown:

I used to live in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Lots of flying foxes. I've held them before, and knew people who kept them as wild pets (meaning they housed and fed them and the bats came and went as they pleased).

The flying foxes filled tree tops by the hundreds and thousands. Impressive. I like bats in general, but the flying foxes were great.

In PNG, they'd hunt them using slingshots made from surgical rubber, when the bats would go after breadfruit. The rocks from the misses would rain down on our metal roof at night.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Super cute when small and eating those bananas.

Much less so when grown:

Admittedly a little freaky looking, but still very cute.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Super cute when small and eating those bananas.

Much less so when grown:

Holy shit! Admit they are cute as buttons when small but that thing would scare the crap out of me were I to run into it on a dark roadway....

46and2, those are scary as hell critters. WTF? I'd never heard of them until this thread. Bad dreams are coming my way tonight I can't un-see that photo

You'd look scary too hanging upside down wrapped in a blanket.

Turn the pic upside down and it's like a flying puppy!

Really - watch the videos and tell me how scary those guys are.

Plus they are valuable to the ecosystem - as important as bees for pollination.

quote:

Flying Foxes eating bananas

Saw the title and thought "who let the porn in"?

Awww they're just satanic as the dickens aren't they?

Just kidding, sometimes good guys wear black.

Nope. No. Hell no.

That last pic? I think that is where Dracula came from. One last time, no way in hell.

I've watched those videos before as well. Good on folks for caring for them.

So glad bats have a better rep than before.

The smaller ones eat mosquitoes and that makes them worthwhile in my book.

I've gone outside at dusk and watched bats many times. I like them, they do us a great service, but the only way we can live in harmony is if they stay out at the barn.

I freely admit that bats have a purpose. All God's creatures have a purpose. But a 4 foot long bat triggers the monkey part of my brain. If I saw it say 20 yards away and could process what I was seeing before I got close everything would be ok. If I turned a corner and it was in my face...pretty sure one of us would be dead and it is even money who it would be.

One more because I'm still obsessed...

Dude! Don’t be posting this shit! With the way 2020 has been going this will lead to a swarm of the big scary adult ones invading America! Ugh!

But, Dude, they's FLOOFY!!!