First Time Mum Feeds A Cute Baby Bat Her Milk - Meet Cotton Top, an Orphan Grey-Headed Flying Fox

Although I have been interested in bats or flying foxes for a few years now, I have never actually fed a baby bat. I am not generally into babies, the human kind, that is.

But these babies are cute as! And Mandi knew this.

So one day whilst helping Mandi in her bat aviary, she asked if I could help feed one of her little charges.

The next thing I knew, I had this little bundle of red fluffy 'momma roll' in my hands, all wrapped around a small baby grey-headed flying fox. About 5-6 weeks old.

Well, meet Cotton Top. What a cutie! And she took to her bottle with no problems. Not a scream to be heard (not like when I hold human babies!).

The only thing I had not realized was that I still had blood on one of my hands. Mandi thought it might scare viewers into thinking that I had been bitten or something.

But no, I had just finished cutting kilos of fresh fruit to feed all her bats that evening. And her partner Robert had sharpened the knives without my knowing. Very well in fact, so I had accidentally cut a few fingers earlier that day!

PS. I went online after and bought some cut-resistant woven gloves. A wonderful invention! Haven't had a cut since - phew!

MORE ABOUT MANDI

Mandi has been a licensed bat carer for nearly 30 years. She lives in Southeast Queensland and cares for bats from her personal funds and any donations she may receive.

She looks after baby bats, orphaned bats, injured bats, and even geriatric bats who are allowed to live out their days in the blissful batty comfort of her loving care.

Being an individual carer and not a member of a Not-For-Profit wildlife organization, she does not receive any form of government financial support or grant monies.

FUNDRAISING FOR MANDI'S BATS

This video is part of a fundraising initiative to help Mandi feed her bats and improve her aviaries.

The Tolga Bat Hospital in Far North Queensland is supportive of Mandi and is happy to take donations for her bats.

Go to: https://tolgabathospital.org/donate/

OR: If you have access to a PayPal account, then click this link to go directly to Tolga Bat Hospital's PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/au/fundraiser/charity/3693956

IMPORTANT: Once you have donated, PLEASE EMAIL JENNY AT: jenny@tolgabathospital.org

Tell her your donation is "For Mandi's Bats” and include the amount and the name under which you donated.
OR just forward your PayPal receipt to Jenny.

This is very important as PayPal does not include details of donations received, so Tolga Bat Hospital will not know if the money is meant for Tolga or for Mandi.

Tolga Bat Hospital's "PayPal Giving Fund" does not charge any fees, so the bats get all the money.

And ALL donations over $2 are tax-deductible too. Yay!

THANK YOU! ;-)

MORE ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FLYING FOXES:
Despite the 'bad press' flying foxes have had (not helped by Hollywood and images of terrifying blood-sucking bats!), they are adorable sentient creatures and the most amazing flying mammals.

In fact, they are the largest flying Australian mammal and the only mammal in Australia that is the closest genetically to humans - go figure!

Maybe we were meant to fly but flying foxes beat us to it!

For more videos like this, check out our playlist: "Discover Bats" at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist list=PLQrN5eNL5RhOIhD8Erg2cFyPrENv1ct-8

ABOUT IRENE ISAACSON:
Irene Isaacson (aka ex-iFototravel platform) is a passionate travel and wildlife photographer. Whilst traveling over 1 million miles and across many continents over the last 10-15 years, she has honed her photography, videography, and photojournalism skills.

With a particular love of experiencing all manner of wildlife interactions, Irene has also been a volunteer and active member of many global wildlife organizations.

These include Not-For-Profit organizations, many of which benefit from regular donations from her photography business profits. She shares her adventures in the hope to raise awareness of conservation and environmental issues, using her platform to inspire, support, and enact change.

Irene says: “We are all stewards of our planet. Between us all, we can help secure the future of our world and the plants and animals within it. It only needs to start with one person…”

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