“He just needed some time to rest.”
Published on Jan 5, 2024 at 3:15 PM
A group of siblings were playing in their backyard when they noticed someone tiny and fluffy underneath their playhouse. Realizing the helpless animal was a grounded bat, one ran to get their mom while the others talked to the bat to comfort him. Luckily, their mom was able to get in touch with Hally Cokenias, a licensed rehabber and cofounder of Arizona Bat Rescue.
“My mom said that everyone get back because it might have rabies,” the siblings told The Dodo. “We called three places to see if we could get help. Then we got in contact with Hally. She told us the right instructions to handle him safely.”
The siblings named the bat Screechey and placed him in the garage, praying he’d be safe.
The kids watched over Screechey diligently while he was in their care. They wanted him to have something cozy to remember them by before he left for Arizona Bat Rescue — so one of the kids, 8-year-old Caitlin, decided to make him a house.
After his house was all decorated, the family drove Screechey to his temporary home, and Cokenias thanked the kids for all they did to make sure the little bat was safe. Even after he was settled into her care, she made sure to text them with updates about how he was doing.
“I was so touched, it seriously made me tear up,” Cokenias told The Dodo. “Acts of kindness like this make what I do easier and restore my faith in humanity. The house is absolutely adorable, and she put so much time and effort into it. I’m keeping it forever.”
Screechey was thoroughly checked over, and besides being a little underweight, he was otherwise totally healthy. Screechey is a canyon bat, the smallest species of bat in North America, weighing the same amount as a Hershey’s Kiss candy. He’s supposed to be small, but Cokenias wanted to get just a little more meat on his bones before releasing him back into the wild.
“He was released not long after he came into [our] care,” Cokenias said. “He just needed some time to rest and some fattening up.”
If the kids hadn’t found Screechey when they did, he might not have made it. Thanks to the family’s quick thinking and their knowledge that bats should always be cared for and handled by professionals, Screechey is now healthy, happy and back in the wild, where he belongs — and some other lucky bats in need will get to use his very special house.
If you’d like to help other bats in need, you can donate to Arizona Bat Rescue.
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