Science Centre bats return to wild

Eight bats, rescued by the Saskatchewan Science Centre, are ready to return to the wild.

The animals usually spend the winter in hibernation. Sometimes, however, they are disturbed and woken. To help them through the cold season, the centre took them in.

"Sometimes they need a little extra help," Sheila Beaubien, from the centre, said. "Then in the spring we let them go."

The centre works in conjunction with the University of Regina. The bat rescue program provides expert medical oversight of the animals and the Saskatchewan Science Centre provides a home. The bats are also used in the centre's education program.

"Some of them are quite cute," Beaubien said. "When you see 'em up close they're pretty amazing."

A group of students at the centre Friday, just ahead of the planned release, was impressed with the bats.

"They're not scary," Hanna Mattie, one of the youngsters, said. "They eat fruit."

Brown bats are common in Saskatchewan and their diet includes bugs, like mosquitos.

The release of this winter's bats is set for 7:30 p.m. CST Friday, following a talk by biologist and researcher Mark Brigham, who oversees the bat rescue program.