In Irpin, Kyiv region, wildlife rescuers helped a colony of bats that abandoned their winter shelter due to an abrupt and severe drop in temperature. Freezing conditions reaching –20°C disrupted their hibernation and forced the exhausted animals to search for warmer hiding places. According to the Ukrainian Bat Rehabilitation Center, the organization received several reports from local residents who had spotted weakened bats attempting to escape the cold.
For years, a group of common noctules safely overwintered inside a hollow of an old oak tree. This winter, however, the tree froze through, causing the animals to wake prematurely. Dehydrated and losing energy rapidly, they struggled to find a suitable refuge and were at high risk of dying from exposure.
Volunteers managed to rescue more than a hundred bats, some of which had injuries or were critically weak. The animals were warmed, rehydrated, fed, and placed into artificial wintering conditions where they will remain until temperatures stabilize.
Experts emphasise that such temperature fluctuations pose a serious threat to wildlife. Frozen natural shelters and sudden cold spells increase the likelihood that bats—already vulnerable in winter—will require human assistance to survive.
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