Batty!

“Hi,” said the fruit bat with great pride,

“My wings are nearly six feet wide!

I eat soft fruit, I’m glad to tell,

I find it with my sense of smell.”

“Hi,” said the little bat with great glee,

“Blind as a bat does not mean me.

I see quite well; I’ve got great sight

When I go hunting every night.”

“Bye,” said the bat, “I’m going home.

It’s not too far from where I roam.

A cave, beneath a roof, a tree,

Protecting all my friends and me.”

Forrest and I took a pre-Halloween trip to the annual open house at the Lubee Bat Conservancy, an international non-profit organization dedicated to protecting biological diversity through the conservation of fruit bats. We found the poem, above, on a message board outside the room where the educational programs were being held.

It was impossible to get a good picture of these giants of the bat world through the mesh of their cages, but I did spot this one batty fellow (above), who seemed to be having a good time even though he wasn't eating any fruit.