An Alberta wildlife rehabilitation centre is celebrating the recovery of a tiny bat after it had to undergo surgery to heal a broken femur. The Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation says a 10-gram silver-haired bat was admitted to its wildlife hospital on May 16 after it was found injured in southwest Calgary. Veterinarians found the creature had a fractured left femur that was unlikely to heal without surgical intervention due to the severity and misalignment of the break. The centre says veterinarian Dr. Cara Newberry performed a delicate surgery on May 22 to stabilize the fracture using a surgical pin. “Measuring only a few millimetres in width, this is among the smallest bones every repaired at AIWC, making this one of the most technically challenging procedures performed at the centre,” a news release said. In the weeks since the surgery, the centre says the bat is showing “encouraging signs of recovery,” including bearing weight on the injured limb. Rehabilitation is still ongoing, but the centre says it is “cautiously optimistic” the critter will make a full recover and can be released back into the wild later this summer. The AIWC says silver-haired bats are classified as a sensitive species in Alberta because of slow reproduction rates, meaning every critter plays a critical role in maintaining healthy population levels. The centre asks all Alberta residents to be aware of bats in their neighbourhoods and to call its Wildlife Hotline at 403-946-2361 if they find an injured, grounded or trapped bat.
