A Bat Tale

[Grandpa Caver]

I was just listening to Hazel Bartons post about the NPR interview and was reminded of an unforgettable experience in Sullivan Cave.

Myself and one other had gotten a little ahead of our group when exiting the cave and stopped for a short break in the "Waterfall Room" just a little shy of the entrance. Sullivan is a fairly large cave and this small room is a bit of a rest stop after a long duck walk and a low, narrow canyon. It was an early summer evening & we found ourselves absolutely enveloped in bats exiting the cave. At one point I raised my arms to shoulder height and they would briefly lite on my underarms, 3-5 at a time, seemingly to just check me out, then fly on about they're way. My buddy (cringing on the floor) was experiencing his second cave trip.

On another occasion, in a tight hands & knees crawl, I felt a "thump on my helmet and looked up just in time to see a Little Brown standing on all fours in front of me. He raised his head, gave it a shake and looked at me like "what the blazes are you doing here" I'll never forget it. An almost cartoonish encounter.

BATS...Gotta Love Em

[Adam Craig]

I had a bat bump my helmet in Biehle Cave once... That's the only time I've ever come in physical contact with a bat in a cave. I did see an injured or dying bat in the back breaker in Sullivans. It was screaching and trying to crawl... Very sad.

[graveleye]

we saw a rat dragging an almost dead bat into its nest in a cave a few months ago. It was sad, but I guess that's what happens when they die.

[Grandpa Caver]

Many moons ago, on a trip to Gary Pit, we discovered a semi-concious chipmonk at the bottom. It appeared to be stunned but otherwise uninjured. Everyone began planning a rescue but I argued that a cave & its inhabitants constitutes a living entity. The unfortunate chipmonks legacy should be to nurture other critters that likely depended on such chance encounters and it would begin a cycle would ripple throughout the cave.

Natures ways are sometimes disturbing but that's just the way it is. I believe it best not to interfere.

And the poor chipmonk? Against my feeble protest, it was rescued from the pit and left to meet its fate in a comfortable spot on the surface.