The Bat Hospital, owned by Jenny Maclean, is 2.02 hectares of land nestled in a forested valley surrounded by Mt Baldy State Forest on the Atherton Tableland. Not only is the property a sanctuary for wildlife, but also a centre for wildlife rehabilitation, education and ecotourism.
Since purchasing the property in 1979, Jenny has planted many thousands of native trees. The sanctuary has abundant bird life, while the mammals include tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus spp.), red-footed pademelons (Thylogale stigmatica) and brushtail (Trichosurus vulpecula) and ringtail (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) possums.
The property is also the base for a not-for-profit community group and registered charity, Tolga Bat Hospital, which aims to improve the public’s perception and understanding of bats. The group takes its name from the nearby Tolga Scrub, a fragment of critically endangered Mabi rainforest that is home to up to a million fruit bats at some times of the year.
