Microbat rescued from Narellan Town Centre

The microbat rescued from Narellan Town Centre by WIRES worker Karen Pietens. Picture: Jess Layt

A cute little critter was woken a little earlier than normal today, when she was rescued from Narellan Town Centre.

Karyn Pietens from Minto Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Services (WIRES) rescued the lost microbat from the car park wall at around lunchtime after a call from a concerned shopper.

Rosemeadow’s Emma Moore spotted the bat in the morning, and was at first concerned it was a spider.

“I was worried it was going to jump down on me, but then I noticed it’s little wings,” she said.

The bat was spotted clinging to the wall from the roof. Picture: Martin Walsh

She contacted WIRES with details of the bat’s location, and met with Ms Pietens soon after.

The wildlife worker said she had attended to many call-outs for bats in her more than ten years in the job, but usually found them in trees, not shopping centres.

She said had the bat rested on the outside wall of the centre, rather than under the car park, it would have almost certainly been taken by birds.

She advised that residents should never attempt to touch bats as they carry diseases such as rabies.

The microbat rescued from Narellan Town Centre by WIRES worker Karen Pietens. Picture: Jess Layt

Ms Pietens is trained and vaccinated, and was able to successfully remove the bat from the wall, gently cover it in a cloth and keep it safe and warm in a bag, where it returned to its daytime slumber.

She said the lesser long-eared microbat weighed seven grams, which was slightly underweight, and ate ten mealworms after being taken in.

It will be released on Sunday.

Contact WIRES on 1300 094 737 if you find an animal out of its habitat.