Wildlife Rehabilitation There are wildlife rehabilitation facilities all over the world and most of them need volunteers. If you are lucky, there will be a facility near you that you can work with. Most facilities will train you and provide a lot of the supplies, some even have veterinarians on staff. For more information on a facility in your area, contact the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC). In order to become an independent wildlife rehabilitator you will need to contact your state Department of Wildlife (Fish & Game, etc.) to obtain a permit. Regulations regarding the rehabilitation and captive care of indigenous wildlife varies significantly from state to state. Pre-exposure rabies vaccinations are usually required in order to rehabilitate rabies vector species such as skunks, foxes, raccoons, coyotes and bats.
	Some bats are federally listed as threatened or endangered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently the endangered species include: the gray bat (Myotis griscenens), the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), the long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris nivalis), the lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris curasoae), and the Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus). These animals receive protection by law and require special permits for handling. In addition, each state has its own list of threatened or endangered animals. These animals are protected regionally and may also come under special permitting requirements. You can obtain this listing from your state fish and game or natural resources department. Bats, like most mammals, are susceptible to the rabies virus (although they are not generally considered to be asymptomatic carriers of the disease). All rehabilitators considering the captive care of bats should receive pre-exposure rabies vaccinations by a personal physician. These are a series of injections (usually 3) given over a period of several weeks. Although relatively painless, these vaccinations can be costly. It is important for bat rehabilitators to have their rabies titer checked annually. This is a measure of the level of rabies antibodies in your blood. If it drops below an acceptable level, a booster vaccination may be recommended.
	Bat CREW staff attends many seminars and workshops related to wildlife rehabilitation and the rehabilitation of bats. In 2000 we completed two different workshops on the rehabilitation and captive care of insectivorous bats. Some friends we made and training we received at the 2001 Lubee workshop. In 2001, we were very fortunate to be able to attend a workshop at the Lubee Bat Concervancy in Gainesville, Florida. The Lubee Bat Concervancy is THE premiere bat facility in the United States with the largest collection of old world fruit bats anywhere in the US. For pictures of some of the wonderful friends we made, visit our Lubee Experience page.
	In July of 2000 we were called to a location where many pups had fallen to the floor of a barn, that were unable to get back to the roost. These babies were severely dehydrated, infested with mites, and slowly dying of starvation. We recovered the live pups and performed triage in the parking lot. For more photos, see our Photo Album page.
	For Photos and stories of orphaned Mexican freetail pups rescued and raised during the summer of 1999, please see our Photo Album page
	This is what a guest room looks like when your guests are small, furry, and need to fly!
	This is what a dining room looks like when the "diners" are being served bat pudding and meal worms!
	CREW Rehabilitation efforts are processed through the Lindsay Wildlife Museum Hospital for rescue calls received at the Lindsay or from our web site. The Lindsay Wildlife Museum is the oldest wildlife rehabilitation facility in the United States, and one of the largest. Please visit their web site for more information about their many wonderful programs. The Bat CREW is California Fish & Game permitted and USDA licensed Proud member of IWRC and CCWR
	The greatest threat to wildlife is assuming that someone else will save it