Back to the wild for our little survivors!
After spending several months safe and warm at the Zoo de Granby Bat Refuge, the last residents of the season finally returned to the great outdoors last week.
Around forty big brown bats took flight in a natural area near the Zoo, bringing the refuge’s 10th season of operation to a close.
These small, winged mammals had been rescued during the winter after being disturbed during hibernation. At this critical time of year, every forced awakening can become a matter of survival. A bat that wakes prematurely from hibernation quickly burns through its precious energy reserves… even though the insects it feeds on are absent during the heart of a Quebec winter. Fortunately, thanks to vigilant citizens who contacted Zoo de Granby, these survivors were able to spend the winter safely until warmer temperatures returned, complete with veterinary care and plenty of meals!
But now that they’ve regained their freedom...
What lies ahead for these big brown bats?
With the return of milder nights, their true summer marathon begins. In this species, pregnant females actively seek warm, secure shelters where they can establish maternity colonies. Attics, tree cavities, old buildings, specially designed bat boxes, many different types of shelters can work, as long as they provide warmth and safety. It is in these summer refuges that they will give birth, usually to a single pup in early summer.
During the first weeks of life, young bats are entirely dependent on their mothers. Unable to fly, they cling together within the colony while the females head out each night to hunt. After only a few weeks, the pups will make their first flights and begin mastering one of nature’s most fascinating abilities: echolocation. By emitting ultrasonic calls and analyzing the returning echoes, bats can move through darkness and detect prey with remarkable precision.
Males, meanwhile, often lead more solitary lives during the summer or form small groups separate from maternity colonies. They too spend their nights hunting, taking advantage of the abundance of insects during the warm season to rebuild their energy reserves.
And insects, they eat a lot of them! Every night, a big brown bat can capture an impressive number of beetles, moths, mosquitoes, and other insects. Many of these species are considered agricultural pests or especially bothersome to humans. Quiet allies of our summer evenings, bats therefore play an essential ecological role by naturally helping control insect populations.
Invisible, but totally present!
We rarely see them up close, but their presence is everywhere after sunset. Over ponds and lakes, along forest edges, in fields, or even in residential neighborhoods, they sometimes travel several kilometers each night in search of food. And contrary to persistent myths, bats are neither aggressive nor interested in humans!
For these refuge survivors, every successful release represents far more than a simple return to nature. By giving them a second chance, Zoo de Granby allows them to fully reclaim their role within Quebec ecosystems: reproducing, raising their young, consuming thousands of insects, and contributing to the natural balance of the habitats they occupy.
And already, without us even realizing it, their next great challenge is approaching.
By late summer and early fall, big brown bats enter a crucial preparation period for winter. They must build up enough fat reserves to survive several months of hibernation. Gradually, they will return to suitable hibernation sites: caves, rock crevices, abandoned mines, buildings, or other cool and stable locations, where their heart rate and body temperature will drop dramatically in order to conserve as much energy as possible. If all goes well, they will spend the winter sheltered from the disturbances that threatened their survival last year.
Since the opening of the Zoo de Granby Bat Refuge 10 years ago, nearly 500 small bats have been cared for, fed, sheltered, and successfully released back into the wild.
Behind that number are hundreds of successful returns to nature… and just as many summer nights animated by the silent flight of these fascinating winged mammals.
We now wish these final residents a busy summer season, and when the cold returns, a peaceful and trouble-free hibernation this time around!
