“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.
