The Little Bat Named on Christmas

At the zoo, Noah takes care of the bats. The bats are his favorite animals. He loves to watch them fly and play on the branches and ropes. These bats are giants. They are called flying foxes, and they look like little bears hanging upside down with wings.

Bats are mammals. They have hair instead of feathers like birds, and they feed their babies milk. Bats have two great big hands and a thin layer of skin between their fingers and their body that make their wings.

The bats at the zoo are very rare and only come from one island in the world. The island is named Rodrigues, and it is part of a chain of islands in the Indian Ocean where the famous dodo bird once lived. The bats are called Rodrigues fruit bats because they eat all sorts of fruit, nectar and leaves. The zoo takes care of these rare bats so they will not go extinct like the dodo bird did a long time ago. The only dodo bird you can see now is in a book or a museum.

Noah knew all the fruit bats by name. He knew that one special bat named Shadow would soon have a new pup, and he wanted to make sure that Shadow and the baby were OK. So every day when he cleaned the bat exhibit he would check the bats very closely.

Shadow stayed near another bat, her daughter named Scamp. Scamp was very friendly, and she would call for Noah when he fed them in the evening. Noah would watch her come up and softly take the fruit from the bowl he offered, and then chuckle contentedly while she chewed the fruit. Then Noah would offer Shadow some fruit which she would take slowly. Shadow was going to have a pup this month, and she was very pregnant. It was December, and in a few weeks it would be Christmas. The weather had been very cold, and outside there was a light frosting of snow.

Later that day, Noah found Maggie checking on the bats. Maggie became interested in the bats, after seeing a video on the flying foxes of Australia at school. Maggie went to a special school at the zoo, and she treated all the animal keepers like family. Noah was one of her best friends. Noah had taught her all of the names of the bats, and how to check them for problems. Maggie knew the bats were not pets but wild animals, and the names just helped Noah to remember who was who. Maggie was looking to see if Shadow had her new pup. But not yet, Shadow just hung next to Scamp, and stared back at Maggie. Maggie smiled and giggled then teased Noah that she had made a wish for Christmas. She wanted to see Shadow's new pup on Christmas day.

Noah had to work on Christmas, and wanted Maggie to get her wish, so he called Maggie's mom, and checked to see if Maggie could visit him at the zoo for a few minutes so he could give Maggie her present. Maggie lived close to the zoo, and Maggie's mom said they would bring all the animal keepers a special Christmas treat.... Maggie's favorite chocolate-chip cookies.

The last few weeks of December were very busy, and Noah didn't see Maggie because she was out of school. Noah had set up a Christmas tree in the keeper's office, and decorated it with ornaments of every description. In a very special place, Noah put his favorite ornament... a Chinese symbol of good fortune decorated with bats. The lights twinkle on and off, and the angel on top glowed above the lights. Noah checked on Shadow three times a day, and still there was no sign of the baby bat. Tomorrow would be Christmas Eve, and he was looking forward to Christmas.

Christmas Eve was a short day at the zoo, and Noah was very busy making sure all the animals were cleaned and had food and water. It was late in the morning, when he finally was able to get in with the bats. Shadow was hiding behind Scamp, and still there was no baby bat. Noah was beginning to worry that Maggie might not get to see a baby bat on Christmas.

Noah had to finish his work, so he thought that he would check Shadow one more time before he went home. He had to check on the monkeys, and see to the parrots, and lastly check to make sure the otters had come in from their pool.

Finally it was time to go, and Noah looked into the bat exhibit. He could see all the bats cluster around Scamp, but as hard as he could he couldn't see Shadow. So he went into their exhibit to get a closer look. He picked up a bowl of food, and called for Scamp, who made her usual chuckle. Scamp came over to get a piece of cantaloupe which was her favorite. Just behind Scamp was Shadow... Shadow looked tired, and she followed Scamp. Noah called softly to Shadow, and she also came over to get a piece of fruit. Just under her wing, Noah could see a little bulge that wiggled and squirmed trying to get more milk. Shadow opened her wing, and Noah could see a small pup crying as Shadow groomed it's fur. Noah left Shadow and her pup, and thought Maggie will get her wish. Shadow was a good mom, and she had raised several healthy pups so Noah was excited to see this new member of the colony.

Christmas morning it was softly snowing, and the sun glistened off the snowflakes as they floated down from the heavens. After work, Noah and his family would have Christmas which was his favorite time of the year. But first he would give the animals at the zoo their special Christmas presents. The bears would get Christmas trees with apples and bananas. The otters would get to play in the snow chasing minnows in their pool, and the bats would get a pumpkin that Noah had saved just for them... Christmas day was a great day at the zoo.

Maggie was up before the dawn on Christmas, waiting for Christmas morning. Maggie's sister Molly was still sleeping, but not for long. Maggie climbed down from her bed, and woke up her sister. Molly's eyes were as big as saucers, as Maggie told her what she wished for on Christmas. Both of the girls talked for a while, and then decided to see if Santa Claus had visited them last night. They climbed down the stairs as quiet as church mice, and went into the kitchen. From there they could see the glass of apple cider and plate of chocolate-chip cookies they had left for Santa. The glass was dry, and some of the cookies were gone, and there was a note addressed to Maggie and Molly. The girls laughed and giggled, Santa had left them a note. He had come to their house. Maggie opened the note and it said....

Dear Maggie and Molly,
Thank you for the cookies and the apple cider. You have both been very good girls this year, and I have brought you several presents, but I have a special request. Please take some of your special chocolate-chip cookies to the zoo and share it with your friends. At the zoo you will find a very special present.
Sincerely,
Kris Kringle

Just as the girls finished their letter, their mom and dad called to the girls to get up for Christmas. They both went running to their bedroom, and hugged their mom and dad. Maggie told them about what they found, and the parents smiled at each other... Santa Claus worked in mysterious ways.

After Christmas morning, the girls got ready to go to the zoo. Maggie brought her chocolate-chip cookies and gave them to the zoo keepers. Noah gave Maggie a special book on bats for Christmas with a great big red bow. Then Noah took Maggie and Molly and their parents on a tour of the zoo to see how the animals enjoyed their Christmas presents. Molly and Maggie loved walking in the fresh snow.

The bears were playing with their Christmas trees and munching on the apples and bananas that were hung like ornaments. The parrots were whistling and chattering with the Christmas music and cracking open peanuts. The monkeys were playing in the snow and searching for the grapes and sunflower seeds the keepers had hidden in their straw. The otters were chasing minnows in their pool, and making bubbles under the water. All of the animals were out and the sun warmed them as they enjoyed their Christmas day.

Now Maggie and Molly led the way heading straight for the bats inside of their warm heated building. The bats were flying back and forth to wreaths that were hung from the ceiling with care and snacking on pumpkins and mangos. Shadow had moved over to the viewing window with Scamp, and Maggie had got her first look at a newborn baby bat. Noah told Maggie it was a little boy, and that she was the one who would get to name the fat little pup. Maggie giggled with joy, and remembered that the pup had to be named with a word starting with an S so that the keepers would remember that this pup belonged to Shadow. Maggie and Molly smiled at each other and at the snow that had starting falling again outside the windows. The girls knew what they had to call the fat little pup. Noah they cried, we want to call the pup Sidney, after the flying foxes of Australia that they had seen for the first time at a presentation at school. At that moment, Sidney got his very first look at the two little girls who would come back to the zoo just to see the bat they named on Christmas.

Story Written by Dana LeBlanc, Lubee Bat Conservancy.
Illustrations by Mrs Emma Barne's class at Flinthill School, Virginia.

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