Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Center

11/05/2025

Are you one of the lucky 1% of humans born with red hair? If so, celebrate your uniqueness today, November 5th, which is “Love Your Red Hair Day.” Red hair is a little more common in wild species than people, but is still an unexpected and beautiful color to see!

Some species in Wisconsin that have red fur are Red Fox, Eastern Red Bats, and Red Squirrels. Other world-wide species include the Red Panda, Red Kangaroo, Red Ruffed Lemur, and Orangutans.

This color in mammals often serves as camouflage. Eastern Red Bats for example utilize their red fur to appear like a dead leaf when they hang from tree branches!

10/31/2025

This is our last day of bat posts during the 2025 Bat Week (Happy Halloween!). Our last topic will be bat conservation, and the Silver-haired Bat.

Here are a few ways you can help bats:
1—Inform people you know that bats benefit our lives and the ecosystem
2—Leave healthy bats alone when you find them outside, and call your local rehabilitator if you are concerned they are not healthy
3—Safely evict bats found in your home
4—Invite bats to your yard by planting native plants to attract insects, and avoid using herbicides and pesticides
5—Put up a bat house to provide them a summer roost
6—Get involved in citizen-based bat monitoring (see link below)

Wisconsin’s Silver-haired Bat looks like the Hoary Bat, but is smaller and darker. Its dark brown to black fur is tipped in silver. It has a 10-12 inch wingspan. In summer, they roost alone under bark and in tree hollows, but sometimes reproductive females live in small colonies of up to a dozen bats. In winter, they migrate to the southern United States to hibernate in tree crevices and hollows. Females usually have two pups in June.

This concludes Wisconsin’s bat week! Thank you for tuning in to learn more about Wisconsin’s bats and their importance. For more information, and how to get involved, visit the Wisconsin Bat Program website: https://wiatri.net/inventory/bats/

10/30/2025

For each of the eight days of Bat Week, we are posting fascinating facts about bats, and spotlight one of Wisconsin’s own eight species of bats. Today we’ll cover threats to bats, and information about the Hoary Bat.

Here are a few of the many threats bats face:
1—Pesticides: Many bats are insectivores. When pesticides are used they kill the food source that many bats rely on, and if the pesticide doesn’t kill an insect immediately bats may ingest these toxins.
2—Human disturbance of hibernation: Bats use up precious fat reserves if they are disturbed during this critical period.
3—White-nose syndrome (WNS): The fungus that causes WNS was discovered in Wisconsin in 2014. It negatively affects bats during hibernation, leading to death in many individuals.
4—Wind turbines: Bats are hit and killed by the turning blades. Migrating bats specifically are most impacted by wind turbines.

If you encounter a bat that is either in your home or appears injured, contact DCHS’s Wildlife Center at 608-287-3235. More information about bats can be found on our website: https://www.giveshelter.org/news/if-you-find-a-bat-in-your-house

The Hoary Bat is the largest bat in Wisconsin, with an impressive 17 inch wingspan. Its fur is tipped in white, giving it a “frosted” look. Its light brown ears are rimmed with black. In summer, they roost alone in deciduous and evergreen forests, 6-20 feet above the ground. In winter, they migrate as far south as Mexico! Females usually have two pups.

Next up: Silver-haired Bat!

10/30/2025

This week the Wildlife Center released 1 Eastern Chipmunk, 1 Eastern Cottontail, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Great Blue Heron, 2 House Finches, 1 House Wren, and 2 Mourning Doves.

This week's Great Blue Heron arrived after an all too common, and extremely dangerous, interaction with fishing line. The bird arrived with its wing entangled. Staff carefully removed the fishing line and found that it had caused damaged flight feathers, and a "drooping" wing likely from soft-tissue injury. Treatment and time had this "fisherman" back in the wild this past Saturday to enjoy a weekend of spear fishing!

This week's Eastern Chipmunk arrived very dehydrated and hypothermic. A good samaritan observed it being dumped by someone at a local park from a live trap. Staff suspect this animal was trapped in the elements with nowhere to hide for an extended period. This chipmunk returned to the wild on Friday, but serves as an important reminder to never set live traps unless you are able to monitor them closely, and never set them in extreme weather conditions. We also discourage moving wildlife to a new area - humane exclusion is the best long-term solution for human/wildlife conflicts. Always stop first to determine what is safe when addressing the nuisance wildlife in your life!

10/29/2025

For each of the eight days of Bat Week, we are posting fascinating facts about bats, and spotlight one of Wisconsin’s own eight species of bats. In today’s post, we’ll cover common bat myths, and share information about the Evening Bat.

Let’s play a game. True or False??
1—Bats are blind
2—Bats are flying mice
3—Bats have a taste for human blood
4—All bats carry rabies (a viral disease that is fatal without treatment)
5—Without bats, there would be no tequila
Find the answers below the information about Evening Bats!

Wisconsin’s Evening Bat has brown fur on its back and pale brown fur on its belly. It looks much like the Little Brown and Big Brown Bats, except it is even smaller in size and it has less hair extending onto its wing and tail membranes. It has a 10-11 inch wingspan. It is uncommon in Wisconsin. In summer, they live in hardwood and conifer tree bark, and sometimes in buildings. In winter, we think they migrate south to a warmer climate. Females usually have twin pups in June.

1—Bats are blind: False! Bats see just fine, and in some ways bats might see even better than us. Scientists have studied how bats may detect wavelengths of light invisible to us.
2—Bats are flying mice: False! They may look alike in some ways, but they are very different animals.
3—Bats have a taste for human blood: False! Vampire bats, which live in Latin America, feed on large animals such as cattle. It is rare for a human to be bitten by this species of bat.
4—All bats carry rabies: False again! A 2011 study found that less than one percent of bats carry rabies. The reason bats are of rabies concern is not because a lot of them have the virus, but because their bites are so insignificant you may not notice a bite! With most other mammals you would notice a bite, and go get treatment right away.
5—Without bats, there would be no tequila: True, Gotcha! Tequila is made from the blue agave plant. Three species of bats mainly pollinate the plant (sorry, none are from Wisconsin).

Next up: Hoary Bat!

10/29/2025

Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center participated in the first “Bat Fest” this past Saturday at Owen Conservation Park in Madison, put on by Friends of Owen Conservation Park. This family-friendly event aimed to raise awareness about bats with games, activities, and booths. Wildlife Center staff, Sarah and Courtney, gave a presentation about the process of bat rehabilitation, fielded questions from attendees, and offered advice on what to do if a sick or injured bat is found (Contact us at 608-287-3235).

Despite the cold, rainy conditions, over 75 people showed up to celebrate bats—and to visit the park’s bat hibernaculum. The hibernaculum in the park was converted from an old root cellar in Spring of 2024. This hibernaculum provides a comfortable place for bats to hibernate over the winter.

Last winter, working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, we released 19 bats into this hibernaculum. Each bat received metal identification bands and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags to track the bat’s movements in and out of the cellar.

It has been wonderful to work with organizations that appreciate bats just like us. We are already looking forward to next year’s Bat Fest!

10/28/2025

What do bats learn in school? The alpha-bat. 🦇

For each of the eight days of Bat Week, we are posting fascinating facts about bats, and spotlight one of Wisconsin’s own eight species of bats. In today’s post, we’ll cover the benefits that bats bring to their ecosystems worldwide, and the Eastern Red Bat.

Five big benefits bats have on ecosystems:
1—Thousands of insects can be consumed by one insect-eating bat in a single night! This helps farmers by reducing the number of pests that damage crops, which translates to over $22 billion saved every year in pest control services.
2—When fruit-eating bats digest food while flying, seeds are spread to encourage more growth.
3—Nectar-eating bats naturally pollinate plants such as bananas, aiding in the plant’s reproduction.
4—Bat guano (p**p) introduces nutrients into cave systems that support a range of animals such as amphibians, fish, and some mammals.
5—Bats are an important part of the food web, and are a food source for hawks, falcons, owls, raccoons, and more.

Wisconsin’s Eastern Red Bat is the only bat here that has red fur, and the fur often has white tips. It has a 13 inch wingspan, and is a common species in Wisconsin. In summer, they roost alone in trees, three to twenty feet above the ground. They have excellent camouflage, appearing like a dead leaf when they tuck in their wings and hang from tree branches. In the fall, they migrate south to hibernate in slightly warmer temperatures. They return in April or May, and 2-3 pups are born in June.

Next up: Evening Bat!

10/27/2025

For each of the eight days of Bat Week, we are posting fascinating facts about bats, and spotlight one of Wisconsin’s own eight species of bats. Today’s post covers echolocation and the Tricolored Bat.

Echolocation is a very cool way that insect-eating bats find and capture prey in the dark. Bats make high-pitched clicking and buzzing sounds that humans can’t hear. Those sounds bounce off the insects and back to the ears of the bats. Bingo—a snack! Scientists can “listen” to these sounds using ultrasound detectors, and it’s possible to identify bat species in the area with this equipment. This is extremely helpful for research, since bats flying at night are nearly impossible to identify by sight.

Wisconsin’s Tricolored Bat has three colors along the length of each of its hair shafts, hence the name. It is our smallest bat and has an 8-10 inch wingspan. It is rare here, mostly found in western and southern Wisconsin. In summer, reproductive females may form small groups, typically less than 35 bats. Males are solitary. In winter, tricolored bats hibernate in caves earlier in the fall—and leave later in the spring—than other Wisconsin bats. They eat a variety of soft-bodied bugs. After mating in the fall, two pups are born in June or July.

Next up: Eastern Red Bat!

Photo of a Tricolored Bat, taken by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Staff

10/26/2025

Why are most softball games played at night? Because the bats sleep during the day! GROAN. Cheesy jokes aside, for each of the eight days of Bat Week, we are posting fascinating facts about bats, and spotlight one of Wisconsin’s own eight species of bats.

Today’s post covers mating, pups, and what bats do when it turns cold in the winter (hibernate or migrate). Male and female bats mate in the fall, and the following spring/summer, usually 1-2 pups are born. The mother produces milk to feed the pups. It takes 3-6 weeks before the pups know how to fly, and they depend on the mother for a few months before becoming fully independent.

When insects are no longer active because of cold temperatures, some bat species will migrate to warmer areas that still have insects. Others hibernate to survive without food during the winter months. Caves provide ideal hibernation spots, but many bats also use human-made structures for hibernation as well.

Wisconsin’s Northern Long-eared Bat looks like the Little Brown Bat, except it has—who would have guessed, longer ears. It has a 9-10 inch wingspan. This bat is listed as a federally endangered and state threatened species. After mating in the fall, the females have one pup in early summer, and reproductive females form small maternal colonies. Males and non-reproductive females are solitary. In winter, they hibernate singly or in small groups in caves. The Northern Long-eared Bats eat a number of flying insects including flies, beetles, and moths.

Next up: Tricolored Bat!

Photo of a Northern Long-eared Bat from the WIDNR website, taken by Dave Redell

10/25/2025

For each of the eight days of Bat Week, we will post fascinating facts about bats, and spotlight one of Wisconsin’s own eight species of bats.

A bat’s wing has the same basic structure as a human arm, hand, and fingers—but the relative lengths of the bones are dramatically different. A thin skin membrane that makes up their wing encompasses almost all of their digits. That is why you can sometimes hear it referred to as a “hand-wing”. Bats also don’t glide, but flap their wings nearly nonstop when flying—talk about a work out!

Wisconsin’s Little Brown Bat is about half the size of the Big Brown Bat and has up to a 10-inch wingspan. It has a smaller face and snout relative to its body size than the Big Brown Bat, and it lives all over our state. In summer, reproductive females live in large colonies in barns, attics, and bat houses. They usually have one pup in early summer. The males and non-reproductive females live alone or with a few others in trees, rock crevices, or buildings. In winter, they hibernate in large numbers in caves or buildings. The Little Brown Bat feeds on mosquitoes, flies, wasps, and moths.

While all of Wisconsin’s bat species eat insects they catch while flying; other bats eat fruit or nectar. We’ll learn more about the benefits bat diets provide to humans in a post later this week.

Next up: Northern Long-eared Bat!

10/25/2025

Last week at the conclusion of National Veterinary Technician Week, we realized that most people are unaware of what our Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) wildlife staff do every day! So we interviewed them, and are giving everyone a glimpse into this “behind-the-scenes” role at Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center (DCHSWC). Learn about their tasks at the Wildlife Center, and get to know their favorite aspects of being a veterinary technician.

Stay up-to-date on Dane County Humane Society news, including information on events, stories about our animals and people, and important pet information.

10/24/2025

Feeling a bit batty? Perfect, you’re in the right place—er, time! Bat Appreciation Week is an international annual celebration of bats, this year October 24th (today) through October 31st. For each of the eight days of Bat Week, we will post fascinating facts about bats, and spotlight one of Wisconsin’s own eight species of bats.

Today’s bat highlight is the Big Brown Bat. These bats have dark brown fur on their body and have a 14-inch wingspan. This is the bat species you are most likely to see in Wisconsin. In summer, they live in tree hollows, bat houses, and sometimes in buildings. In winter, they hibernate in caves and other natural and man-made structures, including walls and attics in buildings. Big Brown Bats feed primarily on small beetles, but also eat moths and wasps. Mating occurs in the fall, and 1-2 pups (bat babies) are born in early June.

Did you know that bats are the only mammals that fly? (Mammals are warm-blooded animals with backbones and hair, and who feed their young milk. Humans are also mammals.) There are more than 1,500 bat species in the world, and some can live up to 35 years old!

Out of the 1,500 species, just eight are native to Wisconsin. Four are cave-dwelling bats and listed as threatened: Big Brown, Little Brown, Northern Long-eared, and Tricolored. The other four are tree-dwelling bats and are on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) “watch” list: Eastern Red, Evening, Hoary, and Silver-Haired.

Tomorrow’s highlight is the Little Brown Bat!

If you live in the Madison area, you may be interested in the “Evening Bat Walk” hosted by the University of Wisconsin Bat Brigade tomorrow, October 25, from 6:30-9:00 pm!