Toronto Wildlife Centre responded to a call about 43 big brown bats found at a Newmarket mall on January 2nd, 2014. Discovered by a mall staff member, the bats were huddling together in an unprotected area and exposed to below freezing temperatures. 33 survived and are in care at Toronto Wildlife Centre.
These bats were likely disturbed from their torpor by construction. Once a bat is awake, it begins to quickly burn through fat reserves intended to last the winter.
Each bat must be hand-fed daily while in care, and each can eat up to 40 mealworms a day!
