Bat-Mum looks after bats in flat - 15th March 2024

Lots of people are afraid of bats. Barbara Gorecka, from Poland, felt the same way. But 16 years ago, things changed. It was a cold January. Bats started coming into her apartment. They came through the air holes.

Gorecka became interested in them. Now, she loves them!

Barbara Gorecka, bat keeper: "I devote so much time to them and they amaze me so much that I simply have to admit that I love them. I can get up in the middle of the night to give them an antibiotic, it's like loving a child."

Gorecka looked after 1,600 bats. Some need special care. They stay warm under Gorecka's jumper. She forgets about them!

Barbara Gorecka: "The bats love to spend their time under my jumper. They purr and cuddle, just like cats. I'm so used to having bats under my shirt that I sometimes forget and leave the house, for example, or get in the car. Now I realise that I've also got a bat up my sleeve. Once I even went to church like this."

Bats usually sleep in winter. But warm weather or loud noises can wake them up. Then they're weak and hungry. Gorecka's their nurse. She gets help from experts and helpers. The bat home is her 9th floor apartment.

Gorecka wants to teach others about bats. Sometimes she visits schools.

Jadwiga Romankiewicz works at a primary school.

Jadwiga Romankiewicz: "At first some children were afraid that the bats would fly, that they might harm someone, children or other animals. It turned out that they are really friendly and very sociable."

Gorecka names each bat. Each one has a medicine plan and a food plan. People call her 'Bat-Mum'.