In the 1980s, large numbers of Spectacled flying foxes in the Atherton Tablelands of Queensland Australia began dying mysteriously, but it was not until the 1990s that the cause was traced to a parasitic tick, which provokes paralysis in the feet of the bats. With the aid of volunteers an emergency hospital was opened, followed by the world-class Tolga Bat Hospital, founded by Jenny Maclean. A team of dedicated volunteers works around the clock during the bats' breeding season to feed and rear the orphaned bats, which are eventually released back into the rainforest. The Hospital celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015 and currently cares for 350 orphan bats.
Download the full story pdf featuring Jurgen Freund's images
here.
