Bess the Baby Bat

It was a warm and moonlit night, and high up in the roof of an old and derelict building a large family of bats were stirring from a very long and deep sleep. Slowly they stretched their wings, and one by one flew out through the empty windows into the stillness of the night to feed upon the insects that were flying around nearby.

One of the last bats to flutter out was a cute little baby bat whose name was Bess. She had only just learnt how to fly and was still quite wobbly. Bess was feeling very thirsty after her long sleep and flew over to the shimmering lake. She skimmed across the surface and gulped a mouthful of water. Bess then flew high up into the sky to see if she could find some tasty moths to fill her rumbling tummy.

A couple of hours passed and the bats started to return home, but when they arrived they saw that all the windows had been boarded up. Bess and the other bats were horrified. “What is happening?” Bess wondered.

One of the older bats was really angry. “Why do people keep doing this to us? We are friendly! All we want is a peaceful life and a nice dry home to sleep in.” Bess was very sad; she loved living there and didn’t want to move home.

Early the next morning a group of people surrounded the building and started to remove the boards from the windows. When the last board was removed they cheered loudly. They were all members of the local Bat Conservation Society. The building was now under their protection and the bats could return home.

So later that evening little Bess and her family flew with light and happy hearts as they foraged for their dinner, and when their tummies could eat and drink no more they flew back to their old and derelict building. Slowly, one by one, they turned themselves upside down, and it wasn’t long before all the bats were asleep.

If you love and care about bats and just happen to see a bat flying one night, it might be little Bess doing what she loves best! Stand still and listen really quietly. You might just hear her whisper “Thank you” as she flies past on her way back home.