"Not a Single Movement for Six Days" Bat Stuck on the Screen... Why?

When the temperature drops sharply, often found
Lightly install insect screens to let them fly away

A 'bat' was found on a window screen in an apartment, drawing the attention of netizens. The bat is a species native to Korea and is known to appear in apartments when the temperature suddenly drops.

On the 6th, 'Yonhap News' reported that resident A (38) living in an apartment in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, discovered a 'bat' on the veranda window screen on the 1st. The bat was about half the size of an adult palm and clung tightly to the screen without moving.

Startled, A sprayed water on the screen and tried hitting it with a stick, but the bat did not move. A told the media, "The bat stayed attached to the screen without flying away for six days."

Bat attached to a window screen in an apartment in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the sixth day, another bat of similar size reportedly appeared. Now a pair, the bats were seen clinging to the screen or crawling slowly on it, still remaining nearby.

A said, "After searching online, I found out that bats waking from hibernation sometimes rest temporarily like this," adding, "I plan to wait until they fly away." He also noted, "The bats make no sound and barely move."

The bat is presumed to be an 'Anju baby bat' (Anju-aegibakjwi), a species native to Korea. The Anju baby bat is a small bat with a head and body length of only 60?80 mm, feeding on insects. It typically inhabits tall tree holes but also lives in caves and is sometimes known to enter houses.

Bats captured at the window of an apartment in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province last June [Image source=Yonhap News]

An official from the Gyeonggi Wildlife Rescue Center told the media, "Due to the sudden cold weather, bats that could not find a hibernation spot cling to relatively warm apartment windows," calling it a common phenomenon.

The official also advised that if you find a bat clinging to a window screen, you should observe it for about a day and then gently tap the screen with a stick or spray water during the warmer daytime to encourage it to fly away. If the bat does not leave after a long time, you can report it to the local wildlife rescue center.

In fact, Anju baby bats are often spotted near apartment complexes. In June, a swarm of bats clinging to an apartment window in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, prompted a response from the wildlife rescue center. The number of bat rescue cases in Gyeonggi Province recorded by the wildlife rescue center was 30 in 2021, 14 in 2022, 14 last year, and 8 in the first half of this year.