It is essential to ask:
Does the welfare cost outweigh the welfare benefit?
- How much distress will the bat be caused?
- How long will the bat take to recover?
- What will the bat’s quality of life be during and following treatment?
- Do you have, or can you access, facilities that will be necessary to look after the bat for the duration of its time
in care?
Ethical context
When treating an individual consideration should be given to the ethical context of any treatment or care decisions.
The following should be considered:
- Short-term care of the bat,
- Long-term care of the bat,
- Welfare of the individual bat,
- Impact on local bat populations (if released),
- Impact on the wider environment (e.g. disease),
- Resource impacts.