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Rehabilitation
Intake, stabilization, and supportive care for injured, orphaned, and displaced bats, with the goal of releasing healthy animals back to the wild.
Iowa's Resource for Bat Rehabilitation, Conservation, and Education
Helping injured, orphaned, and displaced bats while promoting conservation and public understanding across Iowa.
Licensed wildlife rehabilitation
Evidence-based care
Serving communities across Iowa
Found a Bat?
Keep the bat — and yourself — safe
Bats are vital, gentle animals, but like any wild mammal they can carry disease. A few careful steps protect both the bat and your household until help arrives.
- !Do not handle a bat bare-handed.Never touch a bat with bare skin. If contact occurs, contact your doctor and local public health.
- 1Keep pets and children away.Calmly move people and animals to another room and limit noise.
- 2Contain the bat if it is safe to do so.Wearing thick gloves, place a box or container over the bat and slide stiff cardboard underneath. Keep it in a quiet, dark, room-temperature space.
- 3Contact Iowa Bat Center.Reach out right away with the bat's location and condition. We'll guide your next steps.
Emergency intake
515-298-0030 (text is preferred)
info@iowabatcenter.org
Please remember that most rehabbers also work other full-time jobs — wildlife rehab is volunteer-based and done in our free time, so a little patience is appreciated.
Please include photos and your location. If you have been bitten or scratched, contact your physician and public health department first.
Need help with travel?We work directly with Iowa Bird Rehabilitation, and depending on the distance volunteers may be able to help meet partway.
About Iowa Bat Center
Compassionate, evidence-based care for Iowa's bats
Iowa Bat Center is led by a licensed wildlife rehabilitation apprentice with years of hands-on bat rehabilitation experience, working to give injured, orphaned, and displaced bats a second chance.
Bats are among Iowa's most beneficial — and most misunderstood — animals. A single bat can eat thousands of insects in a night, supporting farms, gardens, and healthy ecosystems. Our purpose is to care for individual bats and to help people across Iowa understand and coexist with them.
- Rehabilitation. Stabilizing, treating, and caring for bats with the goal of return to the wild.
- Conservation. Protecting native species and the habitats Iowa's bats depend on.
- Public education. Sharing accurate, science-based information to replace fear with understanding.
- Professional partnerships. Working alongside veterinarians and wildlife professionals, grounded in evidence-based wildlife care.
Led by Natasha Tellinghuisen
A licensed wildlife rehabilitation apprentice with years of bat rehabilitation experience.
Our Work
Four ways we help Iowa's bats and the people who share their landscape
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Conservation
Supporting native Iowa bat species and their habitats, and raising awareness of threats like habitat loss and White-Nose Syndrome.
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Education
Clear, science-based information for the public, students, and landowners — covering bat biology, safe exclusions, and coexistence.
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Community Support
Guidance for homeowners, animal control officers, and conservation partners who encounter bats and want to do right by them.
Iowa Bats
Meet some of the bats that call Iowa home
Iowa is home to several native bat species, each playing a role in keeping insect populations in check. Tap any card for quick facts and conservation status.
Resources
Practical, science-based guidance
Found a Bat?
What to do — and what not to do — when you find a bat indoors or grounded.
Read steps →Bat Exclusions
The humane, lasting fix is a properly timed exclusion that lets bats out but not back in — never sealing them inside or evicting them during pup season.
White-Nose Syndrome
A cold-loving fungal disease that wakes hibernating bats too often, burning the fat they need to survive winter. It has killed millions across North America.
Common Bat Myths
Bats aren't blind, rarely carry rabies, and won't fly into your hair. They're shy, beneficial neighbors — just never handle one bare-handed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions we hear most from Iowans about bats.
View FAQ →Frequently asked questions
By the Numbers
Caring for Iowa's bats, one animal at a time
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Bats admitted
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Bats released
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Counties served
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Years of experience
Numbers updated as of June 2026.
Future Vision
Where Iowa Bat Center is headed
These are long-term goals, not current programs.
Goal
Expanded rehabilitation services
Growing intake capacity and care facilities so more bats across Iowa can be helped each year.
Goal
Conservation projects
Supporting habitat protection, roost monitoring, and research partnerships that benefit native species.
Goal
Community education
Bringing accurate bat science to schools, libraries, landowners, and events throughout the state.
Goal
Volunteer opportunities
Building pathways for trained volunteers to support rehabilitation, outreach, and conservation work.
Goal
Nonprofit status
Pursuing official nonprofit designation so the center can accept tax-deductible donations and expand the resources available for bat care.
Contact
Need help with a bat? Get in touch.
Tell us what you're seeing and we'll guide you through the next steps. For an injured or grounded bat, please reach out as soon as you safely can.
Intake phone
We're a very small organization, so a little patience is appreciated. If no one answers, please leave a text and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
General
Rehabilitation
If you or a pet may have had direct contact with a bat, contact your physician, veterinarian, and local public health department right away. When in doubt, do not release the bat.