WORDS FOR WILDLIFE ARTICLE #11 - Bats, Skunks & Rabies

Baby Bat only a few days old.

Photo by Author

Same bat after it grew up and was released.

Photo by Author

Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr

BATS, SKUNKS & RABIES

I recently had a lady drop off a half dozen baby bats only a few days old. She said the parent bats had been killed by a rattlesnake that had gotten into her attic where the bats nested. She seemed more concerned about the welfare of the bats than she was about having a rattlesnake in her attic. (Incidentally as a wildlife rescuer and rehabilitator I do capture and relocate snakes but that’s another story)

A large percentage of Arkansas bats carry rabies and handling them can be quite hazardous. Most people know that bites from a rabid animal can result in rabies but it is also possible to contract rabies without getting bitten.   Simply by handling an animal their Siliva or blood can give you the disease if it gets into any scratches or cuts. If a carrier skunk drinks out of your pets water dish it can pass rabies to other animals drinking out of that dish. Skunks can carry Rabies without being infected themselves. These animals can pass the disease to others without getting it themselves

Wildlife Rehabilitators are not required to rescue or rehabilitate bats or skunks because of the high percentage that carry rabies in Arkansas.

Despite the fact some carry rabies bats are incredibly beneficial. A single bat can catch as many as 2000 mosquitoes in one night. I decided that since the babies were so small the chances of siliva contact or a bite was minimal so I took in the little fellers. I figured if they survived a rattlesnake attack they deserved a second chance. I made sure I wore gloves as they got big enough to bite and fed them with tweezes once they started eating solid food.

My babies drank formula for the first several weeks before upgrading to insects. I kept them in a shoe box that I carried with me as they needed to be fed every few hours. The box probably would have got me arrested by Homeland Security as it sounded like a Geiger Counter whenever the babies started testing out their sonar with little clicks and squeals.

Bats like a very warm environment so I had a heating pad taped to the shoe box. I had an out of town business trip so the bat box went with me to the hotel. I could not help but wonder what a Maid would do if she saw a shoe box plugged into the wall clicking and chirping away. If she called a bomb squad what would be their reaction to finding baby bats?   Maybe I should put a glass of blood by the night stand and sprinkle some grave dirt on the bed to make them think they had a vampire on their hands. On second thought I decided to take the babies to my meeting and not risk terrifying the house cleaning staff or troubling the bomb squad.

Bats fly silently (no feathers to flutter) and with their sonar can catch insects and evade obstacles even if total blind. The bats grew up fairly quickly and were released back to the wild.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

In Arkansas most small mammals do not carry rabies with the exception of bats and skunks. In recent years estimates claim that up to 60% of the skunk population can be carriers.   If a person or a pet is bitten by a bat or skunk you should notify the Heath Department. It is not uncommon for a cat or dog to get in a fight with a skunk or catch a bat. If you are bestowed with such a dead or injured animal by your loving pet be very carefully handling it as not to come in contact with its body fluids. Check your pet over to see if it has any cuts. If a pet is bitten it will probably have to be quarantined and observed until the incubation period passes to make sure it does not have rabies. This is often done at your home simply by keeping the animal fenced or caged for the quarantine time.

Offer the bat or skunk carcass if available to the Health department to check. They can determine if a dead animal had rabies by analyzing fluid samples from its brain. They will tell you how to get it to them and what the time restraint is for testing.    They can also advise you as to how to safely get the carcass to them.

If you leave food or water dishes outside for your pets it is a good idea to wash and sterilize them often.

DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.

See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife