Bat World is the legacy of a
small bat, found injured on a hot Texas sidewalk in the summer of
1989.
 Amanda
Lollar thought bats were vermin at the time, but not want the tiny animal to suffer,
so she scooted the bat onto a newspaper with the toe of her shoe. The bat was carried back to the
family furniture store and placed into a box with a small dish of water. The next day,
Amanda found information at the local library about the benefits of bats, so she took
the tiny creature home in hopes of healing it's wing and setting it free. Unfortunately,
the injuries were permanent, so "Sunshine" stayed on. During her short lifetime
in captivity, Sunshine taught Amanda the
enchanting language of bats and sparked her
indelible love for this remarkable species. In 1991, Amanda chronicled Sunshine's poignant
story in her book, The Bat In My Pocket, A
Memorable Friendship.
In 1993, Amanda founded Bat World Sanctuary, the organization's
first sanctuary for non-releasable bats. Currently, more than 150 bats representing
over 10 species from around the world have found permanent refuge at this indoor, natural
habitat facility. These non-releasable bats include those that have been used in research,
retired from zoos, orphaned, permanently injured or confiscated from the illegal pet trade.
Bat World
is located in Mineral Wells, Texas and serves as headquarters for the organization.
Aside from this facility, Bat World has established
rescue centers across the US. Bat World Sanctuary has been
featured on television programs on the Discovery Channel, 20/20
Downtown, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, the CBS Early Show and Late
Night with David Letterman
Bat World Sanctuary is an all volunteer organization.
Donations,
Adopt-a-Bat sponsorships,
educational programs,
workshops, and
merchandise sales allow
us to survive and continue our important work in saving bats. |
