Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Meg Lunnum, a dear friend to the chimps and humans here alike. Meg does so much to advocate for our fellow animals of the world and also happens to be a professional bat rehabilitator with Bats Northwest, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of bats here in the Pacific Northwest through education, conservation, and research. Meg shared this message about her gift today:
“I would like to honor Amanda Lollar from Bat World Sanctuary for being awarded the GFAS Carole Noon Award for Sanctuary Excellence. Bat World Sanctuary was founded in 1994, since then, Amanda has been available 24/7/365 to help injured and orphaned bats. Currently the Sanctuary cares for over 200 permanent resident bats. Amanda has also trained over 400 zoologists, veterinarians, and other animal care professionals to rehabilitate bats. I am proud to say I am one of the animal care professionals she trained. The Carole Noon Award for Sanctuary Excellence is given annually to a sanctuary or individual who embodies and puts into practice the GFAS philosophy of vision, dedication and excellence in animal care. It memorializes Carole Noon, founder of Save the Chimps in Fort Pierce, Florida, the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary. Carole was a courageous and innovative sanctuary pioneer and champion of chimpanzees. The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries accredits animal sanctuaries; Bat World Sanctuary and our own Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW are on the list of accredited sanctuaries. Who would have thought there would be a connection between bats and chimpanzees?”
Meg, thank you so much for your care and compassion in honoring Amanda and the incredibly valuable work on behalf of bats worldwide that she and her colleagues dedicate themselves to through Bat World Sanctuary! We so appreciate you thinking of the chimpanzees as you celebrate the important work of such a wonderful sanctuary! We are full of gratitude to you for all you do to provide care, respect and sanctuary to so many beings.
Bats play incredibly important roles as pollinators and pest controllers and are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems around the world and yet, unfortunately they are often very misunderstood. Like so many of our fellow animals, including chimpanzees in the wild, they are vulnerable or endangered due a variety of factors ranging from habitat loss, disease, roost destruction, hunting and killing. We are thrilled to celebrate these special beings here today with the chimpanzees! The sanctuary is fortunate to have a small colony of bats who roost on the property and we anxiously watch for their return every spring. Their lively nursery is such a joy to catch glimpses of and if you’ve ever attended one of our summer education visits you may have heard the babies boisterous vocalizations to their mamas.
Meg’s pal, Queen Negra:
Negra and Jody:
Snoozing…
I am in awe of the wonderful people out there and all the amazing work they do to help animals of all kinds. Congratulations to Amanda, and I love the picture of Negra and Jody, who look like they are sharing an inside joke:)
Thank you for all your work for the bats. I too think they are amazing creatures and try to educate people about their importance. Bats Northwest is great..please keep educating people about bats.