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A BAT that was rescued from a Strathdale tree has been taken to the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter for treatment.
The young, female grey-headed flying-fox was found tangled in a tree at Stringybark Court on Monday morning.
The Country Fire Authority and Wildlife Victoria took more than a hour to rescue the bat.
Wildlife Victoria's Del Stone said the bat was brought to Hepburn where branches and other plant fibres were removed from the bat's wings.
"I'm told it took a huge amount of work," Ms Stone said. "She does have some significant damage to her wings.
"At this point, she is going to be taken to the vet tomorrow to be looked at. It's too early to tell if it can be rehabilitated and released back into the wild."
Ms Stone said she was hopeful that the flying-fox would make a full recovery.
"She seemed quite lively when we were handling her so we're hopeful that she will be ok," Ms Stone said.
Earlier
A FRUIT bat has been rescued after it was stuck in a tree in Strathdale.
The Country Fire Authority and Wildlife Victoria were called to the incident on Stringybark Court about 10.30am on Monday.
The owners of the property, who do not want to be named, said they heard screeching from the bat throughout Sunday night and made the call to council in the morning.
Wildlife Victoria's Del Stone said while the rescue was successful, it was still too early to determine the condition of the bat.
"We don't know at this point," Ms Stone said. "The wings appear to be wrapped up in the fibrous parts of the palm fronds.
"But we will take it to the vet. They will probably sedate it, cut the branches away from its wings, and then they can assess it properly.
"Then we will be able to get a much better idea of what the damage has been done to it."
Bendigo leading firefighter Terry Rule said the call-out to rescue a bat was not too unusual for the CFA.
"It's definitely my first time rescuing a bat," Mr Rule said. "I've had a few cats and birds but never a bat so it's a first time for me for sure.
"I think it went pretty well. It was pretty tight and I was worried we weren't going to be able to get to it. I'm just happy it worked out.
"It is unusual but that's the fire brigade. It's pretty unpredictable."
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