LITTLE ROCK (September 10, 2007) – Just as Halloween creeps around the corner, three baby vampire bats were born to the Little Rock Zoo’s vampire bat colony.

The baby bats were discovered by zoo staff last week and are estimated to be about three weeks old. At three weeks, the bats are barely an inch and half tall and are completely dependent on their mother. The baby bats rest under the wing of their mother and nurse for more than eight months before learning to eat on their own. After weaning, mothers will feed the babies regurgitated blood until the offspring are able to feed themselves.

The Little Rock Zoo has four breeding pairs of vampire bats, so the birth of the babies was no surprise. However, because the babies rest under their mother’s wing, they are hard to see at times.

Zoo keepers say the best time to catch a glimpse of the baby bats is during the bats’ daily feeding at 10:30 a.m. when the colony is provided dishes of cattle blood.

The Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information, visit www.aza.org.

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