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NEW!!
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Van Gogh Mouse pad! |
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The Story of Van Gogh |
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| We see many abuse
cases each year; bats that have suffered at the hands of humans for reasons that defy
explanation. While it's not possible for us to share all the cases we treat, we do try to
share reports about individual bats that have risen above the misery they were forced to
endure. Van Gogh's is one such extraordinary story. |
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 Van
Gogh is a juvenile, Mexican free-tail bat who was experiencing independence in his first
summer of life. From what we can deduce, he
became caught in a pre-dawn thunderstorm while out foraging for insects and was unable to
make it back to his roost. Instead, he had apparently taken refuge under the edge of a
sign attached to the side of a convenience store. Both the hard rain and the rising sun
made it impossible for Van Gogh to safely fly back to his home roost.
Sometime during the mid-morning hours, three teenage boys noticed the little bat clinging
to the brick wall and crouched tightly against the sign. Fear kept Van Gogh in place,
making him an easy target for their heinous crime.
Without forethought or concern for this delicate, little
creature that had spent all night eating insects that destroy crops and carry deadly
disease, they took a lighter from their pocket and reached as high as they could to come
into contact with Van Gogh. They held the flame close
enough to burn his fur and sear his ear and neck. Luckily, the shopkeeper saw them from
the corner of his eye. Not immediately knowing what the boys were doing, only that they were doing something to
the store sign, he rushed outside to confront them. Upon
seeing the shopkeeper the boys fled, dropping the lighter in the process. |
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| As the shopkeeper
approached the sign he heard small painful cries coming from Van Gogh, who was
still weakly clinging to the bricks. The shopkeeper's child had
participated in a field trip to Bat World last year, so he was aware of our existence and
immediately phoned us. Thankfully,
Van Gogh's injuries weren't life threatening. However, the fur on his head and neck was
singed and the skin was badly burned. The membrane on one wing had blistered and one of
his fragile ears had disintegrated under the flame. Hence,
he was affectionately given the name of Van Gogh.
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 We admit several burn
cases annually; some from power lines, some from chimneys and some from acts of cruelty,
such as Van Gogh's. Sadly, most of these bats are injured beyond repair and must be
humanely euthanized. Van Gogh was lucky. His
desire to stay alive, his sweet disposition and the fact that he was only a few weeks old
helped him adjust and heal quickly. However, his missing ear prevents him from
echolocating properly and foraging for insects in the wild, so he is not releasable. Van
Gogh appears happy in captivity. He now lives a pampered life in protective surroundings,
with a non-releasable captive colony of his kind. The photo on the
left shows Van Gogh as he appears today, peeking out of a padded
roosting pouch.
In honor of Van
Gogh's remarkable struggle to survive all odds, he has been added to our Adopt-a-Bat
program. Please see the information below if you would like to sponsor Van Gogh and help
us provide for his care. |
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NOTE:
To sponsor Van Gogh through the Adopt Me! button, please enter
the appropriate amount (see list below). If
the Adopt-a-Bat is a gift or a school sponsorship, please remember
to include the name you want listed on the certificate.
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To sponsor
Van Gogh by fax or mail, go to our
Adopt-a-Bat/Membership form. |
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Please see our privacy policy on safeguarding your
information.
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