A Portable Device for Restraining Small Bats

Abstract

Zoological field research frequently requires that researchers work alone. It is often necessary for animals to be restrained during many common procedures, such as the application of identification tags, fitting of radiotracking transmitters, and blood sampling. Restraint during these procedures can be difficult, as well as stressful to the animals. Many devices have been described for the restraint of animals (Mills et al., 1976; Fowler, 1978; Keegan, 1979; Christy, 1998), but very few have been described for restraining microbats (Micro- chiroptera). Mills et al. (1976) described one such device for obtaining blood samples from vampire bats. However, this device consisted of no more than a cork-board with a circular net taped onto it, requiring the bats to be sedated, and it could not be used by a single person in the field. Keegan (1979) described a method of restraining fruit bats but the relatively small size of microchiropterans makes the tube restrainer he described inappropriate for these animals. Here we describe an alternative device for restraining conscious microbats in order to obtain blood samples from wing veins. Our device is light, portable, rapidly applied and was designed for use by one person in the field without the use of anaesthesia