Polish woman named Bat-Mum - 15th March 2024

Bats have a bad name. They're often believed to carry diseases, or even to be connected to vampires.

Polish woman, Barbara Gorecka, thought similarly until 16 years ago. One freezing January, bats started crawling out of her ventilation system into her apartment. After a biologist friend had calmed her down, Gorecka gradually became fascinated. She now admits 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's cared for 1,600 bats and at present, around 25 are receiving particular attention. She keeps them warm under her clothes but frequently forgets 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."

If bats wake up from hibernation in winter, they're often weak and need extra food. This can happen due to warmer winter temperatures, or if fireworks go off. Gorecka has a system of assistants and experts who support her in her 9th floor flat, the bat home.

Gorecka's keen to teach people about bats and on school visits, she tells children about the animals.

Jadwiga Romankiewicz is the deputy head teacher in 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 gives every bat-patient a name, an individual meal plan and a medicine schedule, so it's not surprising that locals call her 'Bat-Mum'!