Stop everything in your life because NEWS FLASHL: Baby bats are adorable, and there's a hospital dedicated to taking care of their wonderful little faces. First of all, they're actually swaddled like an actual baby, and god knows that treating animals like human babies is where the buck stops with cuteness. Also, they're in Australia, which, as we all know, is a pretty cute country. Australia is also home to some insane wild life, so it makes sense that this hospital for orphaned baby bats is located there. Some of the animals are dangerous, and some will just make you weep tears of joy. In all honesty, if I were to rank the most precious baby animals of the world based on cuteness, I'd say they trump cats, which is a loaded statement.
The Australian Bat Clinic & Wildlife Trauma Centre takes in baby bats (which they call "pups" because they're literally trying to melt our hearts). They typically take in bats after their mothers have died, then treating them for mites and other bat diseases. Just one question: How do I get that job? Would I need to go back to school? (Asking for a friend.) The blankets, by the way, are actually used out of necessity, not just so we can marvel over swaddled bats: Because the bats are orphaned, they lack their mother's warmth and need the next best thing.
At the very least, this video is the exact amount of cuteness you need. At most, it will heal your deep insecurities about bats because of the time one flew right at your head when you were 9 years old. (No really, that happened to me, and this video is helping mend those wounds.) Watch as these squee-worthy baby bats are nursed back to health:
If you've now become inspired to learn everything there is to know about bats, here are 5 bizarrely hilarious things you should know about them:
1. Bats fly at 60 miles per hour
Meaning that bat flew at my head at 60 MILES PER HOUR (probably). And if that doesn't alarm you, maybe it will resonate more if I mention that a bat once flew at Lena Dunham's head. (This is noteworthy both because it proves I'm in good company, and because I believe that bat flew at her head while she was masturbating, which is a whole other layer of stuff to consider.
2. More than half of the bat species in the United States are on the decline, or completely endangered
Bad news for adorable video audiences. Good news for me and Lena.
3. Mothers can find their bat babies even amongst 1,000 of bats because of their specific voices and scents
They're like Lorelai and Rory. (Though we all know the Gilmores can't be trusted around animals.)
4. The largest bat on record had a wing span of 6 feet
Why didn't we make a version of Fly Away Home about bats?
5.There are quite literally species of bats called "vampire bats"
Let's just side step the fact that this is completely terrifying, and move on to why have bats not been featured in Twilight or True Blood? Next time a bat comes into my life (which will inevitably be soon), all I'm going to be able to think is: "I wanna do bad things to you."
Images: YouTube; Giphy(3)
