Story and illustration by Karen Slote It was June 23, 2023. The middle of the busy season. Orphaned baby bats were arriving daily who required round-the-clock feedings, and people were bringing me other misfortunate wild animals who needed help. A fellow rehabilitator was trying to arrange a rescue of a couple baby ruby-throated hummingbirds. Hours later, there was still no word on when they would be arriving, but after finding out that the finders of the baby hummingbirds we

Bats make great neighbors. They amaze us with their nightly acrobatic displays while gobbling up thousands of flying insects -- all for free! But they need safe places to sleep during the day, suitable roosts to raise their young, and cool, protected spots to hibernate in the winter. Unfortunately due to our ever-expanding development, bats have lost many of the forests, caves and other natural areas that they have used for shelter. But some bats have found alternative roosts