A baby fruit bat lies on the concrete floor, desperately calling out for its mother in the darkness; it’s a scene that even the most hardhearted of watchers will struggle not to feel concern over. Luckily this story has a happy ending when—hearing the distress calls—the juvenile’s mother sweeps into the rescue, giving the scared baby the bat equivalent of a big worried hug of relief.
The reunion was captured on camera by the Singaporean animal charity ACRES (Animal Concerns Research & Education Society), which had been called in after the young bat was discovered by a passerby, alone and distressed.
Stranded for almost two hours prior to his rescue, chances that the baby’s mother was still in the area were beginning to diminish. But thankfully the worried parent heard her offspring’s cries, taking less than two minutes of flying to pinpoint exactly where he was.
As the rescue team observed from a distance, the relieved mothered bundled straight into her child, giving him a big hug—and perhaps a worried clip round the ear for straying so far away—before the pair fly off together, back into the night sky.
Writing on the ACRES’ YouTube page, the group said: ‘We thank Mr Joel Guglietta for his genuine concern and eagerness to help us in ensuring that the baby bat is safely contained prior to our arrival.’
‘Every animal is important to us and we hope this video will highlight how wonderful these animals are and how a little help can go a long way in making sure that they stay safe.’
If you’d like to know more about the rescue group, please visit them at www.acres.org.sg