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Hanging out with us until he feels better

Tegan PhillipsThe Kimberley Echo
Terry the fruit bat hanging out at the vet centre.
Camera IconTerry the fruit bat hanging out at the vet centre. Credit: Supplied

This week at the Kimberley Vet Centre, we had a very cute and bizarre patient.

Terry the fruit bat, more commonly known as a flying fox, or what we here at the vet like to call the puppy-dogs of the sky.

You will often see these guys at dusk dotted above on their daily grind in search for food, and once the sun sets you’ll hear their high pitched screech as they play, or more likely as they work out colony squabbles.

During the day you’ll smell them before you see them; bat poo, or guano, has quite a pungent odour and you will soon know where a colony lies when you pass it unknowingly.

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Fruit bats are pretty unique; unlike their fellow species that rely on echolocation and eat only insects, fruit bats feast on delicious tropical fruits.

They use their excellent vision and keen sense of smell to find food from many kilometres away.

Terry was brought to us by a member of the public who unravelled him from a barb wire fence. As you can see in the picture he has a few tears through his wings, but with a bit of time and love these holes will mend.

If you see a bat in need always be very careful, they have extremely sharp teeth and can carry some nasty diseases, so use towels for protection or call a wildlife officer.

Tegan Phillips is a veterinary nurse at Kimberley Vet Centre.

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