Polish bat mum

Bats are commonly considered to be carriers of disease and even associated with vampires, creating fear in the general public.

Barbara Gorecka from Poland held similar opinions until 16 years ago when, one bitterly cold January, bats began emerging from the ventilation airways into her apartment. However, after seeking advice from a microbiologist friend who reassured her, these small mammals soon turned into a source of fascination for Gorecka.

Barbara Gorecka, bat keeper: "I devote so much time to them and they amaze me so much that I simply have to admit that I love them. I can get up in the middle of the night to give them an antibiotic, it's like loving a child."

Gorecka's so devoted to the creatures that she's now nursed more than 1,600 of them and currently has approximately three dozen receiving treatment.

Barbara Gorecka: "The bats love to spend their time under my jumper. They purr and cuddle, just like cats. I'm so used to having bats under my shirt that I sometimes forget and leave the house, for example, or get in the car. Now I realise that I've also got a bat up my sleeve. Once I even went to church like this."

Bats awoken from hibernation by warmer temperatures due to climate change, or shaken by fireworks, are weakened and in need of food. Gorecka now possesses a network of experts and volunteers able to lend a hand with the bat home on the 9th floor of the residential building.

These days, Gorecka's eager to educate the public about her winged friends. In schools, she passes on information about the bats and their friendly nature.

Jadwiga Romankiewicz is the deputy head of one such primary school.

Jadwiga Romankiewicz: "At first some children were afraid that the bats would fly, that they might harm someone, children or other animals. It turned out that they are really friendly and very sociable."

Naming each of the bats in her care, Gorecka provides a specific feeding programme and a medicine plan. It's little surprise, therefore, that she's become known as 'Bat-Mum'.

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