Halloween movies might have taught us to think of bats as scary, vicious, disease spreading creatures of the night, but in many ways they really are just sweet, adorable dogs…with wings.
Take Eddie, for instance.
Eddie was a teeny tiny little fruit bat (aka flying fox) born prematurely and found at a theme park. Luckily, he was rescued by wildlife nurse and bat rehabilitator Rhi, who surmised that the poor guy fell from his mom while she was flying one night. Flying foxes hold onto their mother’s stomach as she flies around at night. However, being born premature meant that Eddie probably didn’t have the strength to do so.
As Eddie began to heal, his natural personality began to come out, which was apparently the personality of a puppy.
Just like a pupper, Eddie was affectionate, emotional, able to recognize voices and even learn his own name. He also showed a fondness for belly rubs…and would get very jealous when other bats get pets.
Watch below, video courtesy of GeoBeats Animals:
Like dogs, bats are very social animals. As Rhi explains, they require “lots of love when their babies,” and bond with who they perceive to be their mother. Hence why Eddie became so close towards his caretaker.
Despite his puppy tendencies, however, Eddie was still a bat that ultimately needed to be in the wild. Since Rhi’s aviary releases its residents when they are ready, Eddie has since gone off on his own, but everytime she looks out at the night sky, she wonders if she sees him flying around. Sounds like the amazingly sweet fruit bat had the same impact on Rhi’s heart as a pet dog would, to be sure.
Bats are not only far less threatening than we think they are (for instance, contracting rabies from a bat is next to impossible, contrary to popular belief) they are far more critical for our planet than we give them credit for.
Worldwide, fruit and nectar eating bats are the exclusive pollinator for over 500 species of flowers in at least 67 plant families, especially plants that we use for medicinal purposes. And also for the agave plant…which brings us tequila. Bats are quite literally party animals.
Bats can also provide essential pest control. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website estimates that insect eating bats save more than $1 billion per year in crop damage and pesticide costs in the corn industry alone. Across all agricultural production, the savings are more than $3 billion per year.
All this…and they’re cute as heck? These critters definitely deserve a rebranding.