- Elm Horner rehabilitates bats and releases them back into their natural habitat.
Inesse Kock, a local of Elmshorn, harbors a fondness for bats and has been nurturing distressed creatures for more than a decade. At present, she tends to roughly 10 to 20 bats in her home. As she stated to the German Press Agency, "Once they've regained their typical weight and can soar with ease, we release them back into their natural habitat." Currently, two pipistrelles reside in a tent-like structure tall enough for humans, while a greater horseshoe bat dwells in a terrarium. These bats were previously handed over to the local wildlife center in Klein Offenseth-Sparrieshoop by caring individuals.
Some of these flying creatures suffer injuries, while others are underweight or dehydrated. So, when should bats receive assistance? "It's straightforward: if you see a bat hanging or unmoving during the day, they usually require aid," clarified Kock. Bats can live up to 20 years.
Northern Germany, comprising the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, and Schleswig-Holstein, is regarded as a vital and precious bat sanctuary, stated Florian Gloza-Rausch, head of the Federal Association for Bat Research and German Bat Protection Association. Various bat species can be found here, including the greater horseshoe bat, noctule, lesser noctule, pond bat, water bat, serotine bat, and common pipistrelle.
Inesse Kock's TikTok account for bat care.
Inesse Kock, despite being from Elmshorn, frequently travels to sites in Lower Saxony to assist distressed bats. The greater horseshoe bat that she's currently caring for was rescued from a location in Lower Saxony.
