Following his dog to the park fence, the owner made a heart-wrenching discovery. Clinging with all its might to the wire mesh was a baby bat, just seven weeks old, fighting for its life. Alone, without its colony or its mother, the tiny creature stood no chance of survival in the urban environment.
A desperate situation
The man immediately contacted Bat Conservation & Rescue QLD and waited patiently for help to arrive. When they arrived, the carers were struck by the little survivor's condition.
"Piglet was very thin and had numerous small holes in his wings," explains Rebecca Appleton, a member of the organisation. According to experts, the baby had likely been wandering alone for several days. At this age, a bat is normally still completely dependent on its mother and is only weaned at around five weeks old.
An unexpected tribute
Touched by the dog walker's kindness and his dog's keen nose, the rescuers decided to name the little bat Piglet, in honour of the pair who saved him.
Today, little Piglet is in safe hands. He has quickly adapted to his human 'surrogate mum' and is getting stronger every day. He will need to stay at the care centre until next February or March. Once he can fly on his own and feed himself, he will be released back into the wild with other orphans of his kind.
