Yishun resident finds tiny bat lying motionless in her kitchen balcony: 'Is it dead already?'
A woman was shocked to find a tiny motionless bat lying on the kitchen balcony railing of her Housing Board flat at Yishun Avenue 6.
Fearful and unsure what to do, Stomper Susan contacted Nee Soon Town Council for help.
"Scary," she said.
When the town council staff member arrived and saw the grounded bat, he asked: "Is it dead already?"
Susan explained that it was alive and had crawled across the railing.
PHOTOS: STOMP
This was the first time Susan had ever encountered a bat, and although she was afraid, she couldn't help but feel bad for it as she thought it was a baby.
She told Stomp on May 21: "I hope the bat's mother can find it and get it back."
According to Wildlife Rescue Centre Acres, there were more bat groundings reported in areas like Punggol, Sembawang, and Yishun in 2024.
Stomp asked Ms Nicole Dorville, a PhD student from the Asian School of the Environment at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and co-founder of NTU Grounded Bat Surveys study.
She confirmed that the bat was a Javan Pipistrelle, a common, small bat species. So although it looked like a baby, like Susan thought it was, it could have been an adult.
The town council staff member used a plastic bag and a towel to pick it up gently.
PHOTO: STOMP
Ms Dorville explained that the towel helps avoid bites, and the plastic prevents exposure to germs.
She advised the public against touching bats, even when encountering one that is grounded, and to call Acres' Wildlife Rescue Hotline (9783 7782) or NParks' Animal Response Centre (1800 476 1600) when encountering a grounded bat.
She said: "It's not that the bat is angry or aggressive, it's more that people are not usually very careful."
If you encounter a bat in your home, Acres' bat advisory notice advises turning off the lights and ceiling fans, and open windows and doors so it can exit safely.
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