Superstar rescue bat takes to silver screen with Dr Dolittle owner and Ben Fogle to save endangered bats
A superstar bat who was attacked by a cat has taken to the silver screen with his Dr Dolittle owner alongside Ben Fogle in an effort to save the endangered bat population.
Animal lover Amy Schwartz, 28, an ecologist from Barry, Wales, turned her study into a bat saferoom in 2014, rehabilitating up to six bats at a time alongside her animal menagerie including a house rabbit, a bearded dragon, a crested gecko and five chickens.
But in September 2021 Amy rescued a Noctule bat, Griff, who due to a broken wrist was unable to be released back into the wild, becoming a permanent resident at Amy’s animal filled home.
Now Griff has hit the silver screen starring in his own campaign alongside conservationist, Ben Fogle and streaming service Now, to celebrate the release of The Batman, giving away cinema-themed bat boxes to raise awareness about the declining bat population.
“I’m always surrounded by animals,” said Amy.
“It surprises me to hear that people don’t like bats. They get a lot of bad press from vampires, but they are adorable.”
She added: “Griff was brilliant on set, he’s a really curious bat and is really calm.”
A bat enthusiast from a young age Amy went on to become an ecologist and fell into rescuing bats due to her unusual group of friends.
“When I was young my grandfather used to take me on guided bat walks, they’d lend out a bat detector as you walked around, that’s what started my interest in bats,” said Amy.
“I started rescuing them eight years ago. As an ecologist it’s normal to do bat care, so a lot of my friends take in bats, it just became a really normal thing to do.”
Keeping up to six bats at a time in the summer as a Bat Conservation Trust volunteer, Amy’s house is always full of her furry friends.
“Late July is the busiest time of year,” said Amy.
“I can have five or six bats and be taking other phone calls advising people on what to do.
“During middle to end of June most bats give birth. So, by end of July, you get both exhausted mother bats as well as juveniles being found.
“But the winter is much quieter, in December I usually have one bat with me.
But it was not until Griff arrived in September 2021 that she found her first permanent resident.
“He had been attacked by a cat and was found at a riding stable outside Cardiff,” explained Amy.
“He was mostly OK, but he had a swollen wrist. The vet gave him some antiviral antibiotics and painkillers.”
She added: “But after the wrist swelling went away, he sat with his wing not fully tucked away.
“He was also very reluctant to use it and he never tried to fly indoors. I took him to another vet who specialises in exotic animals and got him an x-ray.
“His wrist had healed but in a way that limits his movement. He can’t fly properly so he couldn’t be released.
“So he now lives with me full time.”
Earning his keep as an educational bat Griff is a local celebrity, travelling around schools and local groups.
“I have a special licence to keep him as you can’t legally keep bats without a license in the UK,” she said.
She added: “Bats are massively different in terms of their personalities, even within the same species. Griff is very curious, he’s always been easy to handle and very calm.
“It makes him great for bringing along to events and showing kids bats up close.
“He’s very good. Though sometimes he will try and find the dustiest corner in hard to reach places and get lovely and cosy.”
She added: “But Griff loves food so you can retrieve him with a couple of mealworms!”
However, Amy said that vampires have given bats a bad reputation.
“It’s that classic vampire fear,” she said.
“They’ve been made out to be creepy and horrible, but they are extremely fluffy and rather adorable.
“Children will ask if they drink blood – actually all our bat species in the UK eat insects.”
However, Griff’s charm wins over most people.
“Everybody loves him,” said Amy.
“He makes me laugh. As soon as he hears a zip on his holder, he immediately sits by his food bowl.
“He just loves food!”
And now the superstar bat is hitting the silver screen.
“The Bat Conservation Trust got in touch and said they had been approached by Now,” explained Amy.
“Good publicity for bats is great. They are an important part of our ecosystem and bat boxes are a great way to encourage them within your area.”
Teaming up with the Bat conservation Trust and streaming service Now the trio are giving away 100 free cinema themed bat boxes, styled as a classic miniature cinema.
And Griff wasn’t shy to get involved – posing alongside Ben Fogle, Amy says Griff was a “natural” on set.
“The filming was great,” said Amy.
“Everyone was really lovely and it was a really fun day.
“Griff was more than happy. Any poses that we wanted him to hold he would – as soon as he was offered a couple of mealworms.
“He definitely had his fill, though he still wanted his dinner!”
But most of all Amy hopes Griff will help raise awareness about the declining bat population.
Bats are one of the most endangered species in the UK, mostly caused by the disruption to their natural habitat – six of the UK’s 18 indigenous species are at risk of extinction.
“Bats are an important part of our environment,” explained Amy.
“One of the easiest ways to encourage bats in your local area is to use bat boxes.
“Reducing your use of pesticides and lowering levels of artificial light in your garden are all great ways to help bats.”
And Amy reveals more bats will make the summer even brighter for most people.
“Bats eat what we consider pest insects,” she said.
“They love to eat very small biting insects, such as midges and mosquitoes.
“More common bats like, pipistrelles, eat midges. One was found to eat up to 3000 midges in one night, which is incredible.”
She added: “So that will certainly make our barbecues in the summer a bit more pleasant.”
However, after his brush with celebrity Griff is back to touring the country.
“Griff plays a really important role,” said Amy.
Bat conservation Trust and Now the trio are giving away 100 free cinema themed bat boxes to the public
“We’ve had a few inquires for Griff to do more on screen but I’m still looking at those.
“I’ve definitely had lots of people that have said to me how much more positively they think of bats now.
“People have bought bat boxes and bat detectors, so they can listen to them flying around their garden or their local area.”
She added: “That’s what its all about.”
Meanwhile, as a reward for all his hard work, Amy plans to give Griff a real treat at Christmas.
“Wax worms are like burgers for bats,” laughed Amy.
“They are little caterpillars that are great to get bats weight up but it’s not good for them to eat too much.
“So he’ll have a little Christmas treat of those!”
Apply for your free bat box at www.batboxcompetition.nowtv.com.
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