Cleobatra was sent to Bat World by an Arizona zoo in 1994. The young bat had sustained permanent toe injuries from hanging onto the stiff wire that was used for her caging, and she was no longer able to hang upside-down. Not having the resources to care for an invalid bat, the zoo staff decided to send her to Bat World Sanctuary.

At Bat World, Cleobatra discovered that she could easily hang upside-down on the soft netting, vines and limbs that decorated the inside of the flight cage. In no time at all she was “hanging out” with over 20 other Egyptian fruit bats who also live in a simulated indoor forest at Bat World Sanctuary.

At Bat World, the flight cage floor is thickly padded in case a bat falls, but another adaptation has been added to the cage specifically for Cleobatra. Soft mesh hammocks were secured from the ceiling throughout the flight cage to allow Cleo to rest her toes. Her favorite hammock is beside a large fruit dish.

Cleobatra has grown into a “little old lady’ but is still lively and active at night, munching on fresh pieces of melons, apples, pears, peaches, mangoes, grapes and fig. She particularly enjoys “fruit kabob” night, when whole peeled apples and mangoes are skewered onto kabobs and hung from the flight cage ceiling. To this day, Cleobatra takes delight in hanging directly on an apple, teasing the other bats by nibbling off small pieces while hogging it all to herself.

In 2017, Cleobatra turned 23 years old. She is a sweet little old lady now and receives arthritis medication daily. She likes to roost in what we call “The Old Ladies Clubhouse” (also known as the roosting cam, seen on this link).

Cleobatra passed away in her sleep on September 7th, of 2018.