Help Orphaned, Injured Bats and Support Vital Conservation Work This Bat Week

Washington, DC—As Bat Week kicks off October 24, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is hosting its first-ever bat-tacular fundraiser to help organizations operating bat rescues, sanctuaries, and educational outreach programs promote and protect these vanishing mammals. Donate now and double your impact: Through October 31, AWI will match all donations to this campaign up to a total of $40,000!

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Bats are neither creepy nor spooky—not even the three species of vampire bats. (With a three-foot vertical leap, the common vampire bat is, however, supernaturally athletic.) And contrary to common fears, the vast majority of bats do not carry rabies.

In fact, bats should be revered—not feared—because they are the unsung heroes of healthy ecosystems. They serve as pollinators, seed dispersers, and consumers of vast quantities of certain insects that can wreak havoc on crops, forests, and backyard gardens. They are also the only mammals who actually fly, using echolocation to navigate and home in on prey.

Bats are slow to reproduce, however, and they are facing unprecedented threats from habitat destruction, climate change, hunting, declining food supply, wind turbine collisions, international trade, and a devastating fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome. As a result, more than 200 bat species are currently at risk of extinction, including a number of North American species such as the northern long-eared bat, little brown bat, and Indiana bat.

Will you join us to help save one of the world’s most misunderstood animals, dispel harmful myths, and spread awareness about the amazing benefits of bats?

AWI has selected four worthy bat-centric nonprofit organizations to support during Bat Week:

Bats Northwest in Lynnwood, Washington
The vision of Bats Northwest is “a future where the essential role of bats is understood, the public recognizes the vital place of bats in our environment and economy, and where all are inspired by their remarkable and invaluable contribution to our natural heritage.” This organization was established in 1996 by scientists, educators, and others interested in helping to protect Pacific Northwest bat populations through education and research. Washington is home to 14 species of bats, and Bats Northwest provides information on how to help each species. Volunteers conduct school visits, build bat houses, promote human-bat coexistence at community events (occasionally accompanied by bat puppets), and maintain a vast list of resources for educators, wildlife rehabilitators, and public health researchers.

Bat World Sanctuary in Weatherford, Texas
Claiming to be the largest bat sanctuary on Earth, Bat World Sanctuary rescues hundreds of bats each year and provides lifetime sanctuary to those who cannot be released back into the wild, including orphans, bats with permanent injuries, and bats from the exotic pet trade, private zoos, and research facilities. Sanctuary residents include Bella the fruit bat, who steals melon treats and playfully flicks her caregivers’ hair as she circles around them, and Little Ernie, an orphaned Brazilian free-tailed bat who was found trapped in an abandoned building for two days. Amanda Lollar founded Bat World Sanctuary in 1994, several years after she came across an injured Mexican free-tailed bat lying on her back on a hot sidewalk. Lollar named the bat Sunshine and, while rehabilitating her, discovered the enchanting language of bats. Today, the organization promotes the humane treatment of bats in captivity and expands its reach through workshops for bat rehabilitators around the world and at satellite rescue centers in Bulgaria, Austria, Japan, and Italy.

Pennsylvania Bat Conservation and Rehabilitation in Mertztown, Pennsylvania
As a small facility rescuing more than 300 orphaned, injured, and distressed bats each year, Pennsylvania Bat Conservation and Rehabilitation prioritizes addressing animals’ round-the-clock needs in a quiet, safe environment before setting them off to rejoin the night sky whenever possible. Started in 2012 by wildlife enthusiast Stephanie Stronsick, the organization rescues bats with severe challenges, including head traumas due to window strikes and serious injuries from cat attacks. Rescued bats have been found trapped in pool filters, grounded on barn floors, and impaled by fishing hooks. Pennsylvania Bat Conservation and Rehabilitation hosts community events to educate the public about bat behavior, their remarkable adaptations, and their significant contributions to the environment. The organization is in expansion mode with a new rehabilitation center that will include a flight area for fruit bats rescued from the live wildlife trade, an intensive care unit, and a 24-hour drop-off enclosure.

Bat Conservation & Rescue of Virginia in Mount Solon, Virginia
Bat Conservation & Rescue of Virginia focuses on engaging, empowering, and educating people of all ages and abilities to help conserve the state’s bat populations. Established in 2011 by Leslie Sturges, a former park naturalist, the organization rescues and rehabilitates individual bats, tracks relevant state legislation, promotes science-based management of bats through hands-on learning, supports research and data-sharing, and encourages public involvement through creative outlets, such as art, literature, and theater. Sturges, who has personally cared for more than 1,000 bats over 20 years, completed a book, “Lucy’s Story,” which details the journey of a little brown bat growing up with the specter of white-nose syndrome. The organization provides educational programs to schools, scout clubs, libraries, garden groups, festivals, and more.

Additional Ways to Help this Bat Week:

• Launch your own Facebook fundraiser in support of the campaign and invite your family and friends to donate.
• Build and install a bat house and engage in other hands-on activities to promote bat conservation.
• Follow AWI on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) and share our posts to help spread awareness about wildlife protection.
• Take action for animals by contacting legislators and administration officials about important animal welfare issues.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions. Thank you for helping to protect bats and other animals!