10/29/2026
What started as a summer intern project has become a successful trained behavior for two of our Rodrigues fruit bat boys!
In honor of Bat Week during Bat Appreciation Month, we’re highlighting Ella, our former Africa intern, who helped kick-start target training with Groot and Yondu, two of our more social flying foxes. When her internship ended, Nicole, our Lead Africa Keeper, continued working with the boys, and they’ve been excelling ever since! What might look like a simple ask is actually the result of years of relationship-building, patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement.
So, what does this have to do with bats? 🦇 Bat Appreciation Month is a chance to recognize that these often-misunderstood animals deserve the same thoughtful care, enrichment, and mental stimulation as any other animal in our care. Training is more than learning a cue; it provides opportunities for choice, engagement, and problem-solving while strengthening the relationships between animals and their keepers.
From small training sessions to their incredible roles in the wild as pollinators and seed dispersers, bats have so much more to offer than meets the eye. This Bat Appreciation Month, we’re celebrating our winged-residents, like Groot and Yondu, and reminding everyone that understanding these remarkable animals starts with appreciating the details that make their care so special.
