Keeping and caring for insectivorous bats is extremely labor- and time- intensive. Without comprehensive care from caregivers, the death rate is very high.

Thanks to our trained team of animal keepers, biologists and veterinarians, the bats are in good hands around the clock.

The number of bats needing care fluctuates greatly. In the winter months, injured adult animals stay with us and are given the opportunity to be overwintered, during which they are regularly checked on. Improper tree pruning is also still being carried out during this cold period, which not only forces entire bat colonies into homelessness, but in most cases also leads to large-scale, sometimes fatal, injuries. This can result in a sudden increase of 100-150 animals that require immediate medical care.

In the summer months, animals that are disturbed in their roosts can usually find alternative accommodation more easily than in the winter, but juvenile animals often miss out. The loss of their parents also represents an immediately life-threatening situation for them. Young animals, even in smaller numbers, lead to increased care requirements due to the high demands of proper housing and frequent feedings.

In Vienna, as well as in all other urban centers in Austria, bats feel right at home just as they do in the countryside. Sadly, they are often harmed by construction work, tree pruning, poor building design, loss of roost or even demolitions. These animals are in particular need of our help.

Unfortunately, due to numerous rumors and myths that persist among us (such as the idea that all bats will suck your blood) many people are afraid to help the animals and bring them to a bat station.

It’s easier to recognize distress in more traditionally “harmless” animals, and therefore people have a greater willingness to actually bring the animal to safety.

Emergency number if a bat is found (+43 670/6028666)

Of the approximately 1,400 species worldwide, at least 30 bat species are currently recorded in Austria. Vienna alone is currently home to 23 species. Many bat species are listed as “vulnerable” or even “threatened with extinction” in the IUCN (“International Union for Conservation of Nature”) red list of endangered mammal species in Austria.

As similar as these various species may seem to some, their behavior and needs are very different. There are not only interspecies differences, but within a species too - from individual to individual. This represents an additional factor that makes bat care so challenging.

Sure, conserving a species is important…but why save individuals?

“You only protect what you love, you only love what you know.” (Konrad Lorenz)

• Individuals can have an impact on an entire population, e.g. rescued females can give birth to the next generation, hand-reared bats can become healthy adults

• Through public involvement and engagement, awareness can be spread and meaningful changes can be made regarding things such as construction, tree-pruning practices, or creating closed enclosures for outdoor cats.

• Mother-offspring interactions, composition of colostrum, stress hormones and much more can be researched using rescued individuals.

The basis of our animal shelter and the work with bats itself is based on the EU's FFH (Fauna-Flora-Habitat) Directive from 1992. This directive must be implemented in national law, which is done by  the individual federal states via their nature conservation laws. The FFH Directive contains various appendices and priorities, of which Appendices II and IV are relevant for bats.

The aim of the directive is "[...] to contribute to securing biodiversity through the conservation of natural habitats and wild animals and plants in the European territory of the Member States." Species in Annex II.: Protected areas must be created; appropriate monitoring is required. Appendix IV species: Strict protection (all bat species). In Vienna, this is regulated in Section 10 Paragraph 3 of the Vienna Nature Conservation Act and in the Vienna Nature Conservation Ordinance. According to this, all bats in Vienna are strictly protected, which means they are not allowed to be caught, their roosts are not allowed to be destroyed and they are not allowed to be killed.

Our bat station makes a vital contribution to achieving the goals set out in the directive.

In addition, close cooperation with the KFFÖ (Coordination Center for Bat Protection and Research Austria) and MA 22 (Municipal Dept. for Environmental Protection) is of great importance for many reasons:

· passing on data sets (monthly records)

· discovery of roosts and nurseries through the rescue of individuals (important for further conservation measures)

· if immediate intervention is required, e.g. during construction work on buildings or tree cutting - a joint rescue operation can be launched. Further measures to prevent repeated emergency situations in already known locations can be taken over by MA 22.

· Public education

We all have a common goal. Through close cooperation with the KFFÖ and MA 22, we can make a valuable contribution to species protection