Laureen Harper hosts new nighttime friends at 24 Sussex with bat house
Kady O'Malley | CBC News | Posted: May 22, 2015 5:54 PM | Last Updated: May 23, 2015
PM's wife calls bats 'the most natural form of insect repellant'
Move over, Charlie the chinchilla and Stanley the cat — some new little furry faces will be taking up temporary lodgings at 24 Sussex over the next few months.
Prime ministerial spouse and notorious animal lover Laureen Harper announced Friday on Facebook that she has recently installed a bat house on the grounds of the official residence.
Her post includes pictures of two seemingly slumbering tank occupants, identified only as "16" and "9."
"To learn more about the benefits of bat houses and bats (the most natural form of insect repellent!), check out the amazing Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary," she notes.
Although there's been no official word on how Stanley feels about the echolocating interlopers, Charlie, at least, can take refuge in the furthest recesses of his new perch, shots of which Mrs. Harper also posted to Facebook last month.
"Thank you to the friendly and helpful staff at Ottawa's Innes Road RONA for helping me build a shelf for Charlie," she wrote.
"He just loves it."
In any case, although the bat house post has already garnered nearly 100 likes and several approving comments, not everyone appreciates the initiative.
"There are 600,000 seniors living in poverty in Canada forced to eat cat food," Philip Alexander Fredrick Bloedow writes.
"Shame on Harper and his followers."
Other commenters point to the dangers reportedly posed to bats by wind turbines.