A Hawaiian hoary bat was fed Friday in Kailua, Kona. Ann and Norm Goody of the Three Ring Ranch Exotic Animal Sanctuary, who provided this picture, took care of the endangered bat after it was found lying lifeless on a car. Three Ring Ranch Exotic Animal Sanctuary via West Hawaii Today & AP

A worker at a wastewater treatment plant in Kona spotted the bat Wednesday after the animal appeared to have fallen from a tree. It was not moving.

Responding to a call from the local Humane Society, Ann and Norm Goody of the Three Ring Ranch Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Kailua-Kona took the bat in.

Ann Goody warmed the animal on her hand and fed it fluids and mealworms.

"The (bat) was too cold and dehydrated at first to eat but with a bit of time it began to lick the delicious bug insides from its lips," she wrote. "In a few hours it was able to eat more."

Over the course of three days, the female mammal's weight rose to 0.53 ounce from 0.42 ounce and was ready to be set free at the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park.

Ann Goody said it was important to release the animal along the coastline because that is the bat's feeding territory. Male bats are usually around the coastline in the fall and females in the summer and spring, she said.

The Goodys took the bat to the park at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. She hung contentedly from a low branch for a while, taking a nap and waking occasionally. She ate a bite of mealworm.

Almost two hours later, she took flight

"Off she went. It was just great, it was perfect," Ann Goody said.

The Hawaiian hoary bat has been classified as an endangered species since the 1970s. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates its population at about 2,500.

Shrinking natural habitats have made it difficult for the animals to thrive, but they are still commonly seen on the islands of Hawai'i, Kaua'i and Maui. They are rarely seen on O'ahu, according to the Honolulu Zoo.