Watch: Bat shaken after unfortunate fall and harrowing encounter

When a fruit bat fell to the ground in Kruger National Park in South Africa, it became an easy target for a predator.

When bats find themselves on the ground, they can’t simply take off into the air as easily as birds because their wings aren’t as strong and they can’t run fast enough to build up flight speed.

So when a fruit bat fell to the ground in Kruger National Park in South Africa, it became an easy target of a gray-headed bushshrike before it had a chance to get airborne again.

Wildlife filmmaker Brent Leo-Smith was sitting in the garden of the Pridelands Conservancy in Kruger’s Balule Game Reserve when he heard a shrieking bird and went to investigate. He began videotaping the encounter and shared it with Latest Sightings.

“The Painteddog TV team heard bird alarm calls in the garden so we went to see what the commotion was about,” Leo-Smith told Latest Sightings.

What they saw was a “very ambitious bushshrike” attacking and pecking at the fruit bat.

“The fruit bat was not in an ideal position as they struggle to take flight from the ground but with a little determination, the shaky fruit bat was able to escape and fly back into the safety of tree,” Leo-Smith said. “By hanging upside down, they are able to easily launch themselves into flight if they need to escape.”

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It wasn’t clear how the bat escaped the attack; most likely the aggressive bushshrike gave up and went on its way, allowing the bat time to escape to the safety of the tree.

Though having returned to the comfort of the tree, the bat was clearly shaken, as evidenced by its shaking body.

“Wouldn’t you? You just got mauled by a bunch of birds, wouldn’t you be shaking?” Leo-Smith can be heard saying in the video. “That’s why he’s in such a state.”