If you have found a bat in need of rescue or wish to report a bat crime:
Please call the Bat Conservation Trust as a matter of urgency on 0345 1300 228 so they can advise you. The Helpline operates from 9:30am-4:30pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively, use the contact details on this website.
If your enquiry is outside of these times or you cannot be connected, please visit their website without delay for advice on what to do.
Found a Bat:
https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/help-ive-found-a-bat
Bat Crime:
https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/bats-and-the-law/reporting-bat-crimes
If you have been bitten or scratched by a bat, please seek medical advice as soon as possible and read the information on this government web page: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rabies-risks-from-bat-bites/information-for-individuals-who-have-been-bitten-by-a-bat
Injured Bats
Bat Protection
It is not uncommon to find a poorly looking bat on the ground during the summer. Sometimes it has just become grounded during bad weather and may need a helping hand to become airborne again. Often, however, the bat is ill, injured, or immature and needs to go to a Bat Carer.
If you do find a grounded bat, carefully pick it up using gloves or a towel to avoid being bitten. Put the bat in a shoe box or a similar container with a close-fitting lid. Bats are very good at escaping, even through very small holes. You can put a shallow container with water – a milk bottle top or jam jar lid is ideal- and piece of cloth or a piece of folded kitchen towel gives the bats somewhere to hide.
If the bat is active and there is no obvious sign of injury, you can see if the bat will fly away. Do this by taking the box outside at dusk, remove the lid and place the box on its side on a wide ledge, flat roof or similar. It is important that this is done in the area where the bat was found, and only if the weather is fine, and please make sure that no cats are lurking around. If the bat has not flown within an hour or two it will need to go to a bat carer.
Please note that some species of bat have been known to carry a rabies virus. Therefore it is important to wear gloves or use a cloth to handle bats to avoid being scratched or bitten
There are 18 species of bat in the UK, 9 of these in Scotland. One species is virtually extinct and two are classed as endangered. Nine others are considered to be threatened.
All species of British bats and their roosts are protected by UK/Scottish/Northern Ireland and European Legislation. In some cases their foraging sites may also be safeguarded by a designation such as Special Area of Conservation (Sac) or Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The following species are European Protected Species, taken from Schedule 2 and Schedule 4 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats & c.) Regulations 1994.
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Horseshoe Bats (all species)
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Typical bats (all species)
The following animals are also protected by European law:
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Wild cat (Felis silvestris)
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Dolphins, porpoises and whales (all species)
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Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius)
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Otter (Lutra lutra)
Building Development
Developers and property owners may have to commission a bat survey if the property is likely to have a bat roost or roosts. If bats or evidence of bat roosts are found, a licence will required from the Scottish Natural Heritage (www.nature.scot) in order to proceed with the work and a Mitigation Plan for Bats will have to be prepared.
Bats in Trees
Mature trees also have to be checked for the presence of bats if they are to be felled or if tree surgery is required. If bats or evidence of bat roosts are found, a licence will required from the Scottish Natural Heritage (www.nature.scot) in order to proceed with the work and a Mitigation Plan for Bats will have to be prepared.
N.B. Dumfries and Galloway Bat Group does not undertake commercial bat surveys
For more information on Bats and the Law go to the Bat Conservation Trust website http://www.bats.org.uk