Bats can be cute or creepy, depending on your point of view; but whatever your thoughts about them, it is important to avoid coming in contact with them, as bats are the primary carrier of the rabies virus in B.C.
“There are lots of bats in your area,” says Doug Burles, the Thompson coordinator of the BC Community Bat Program. “There are 10 or 11 species I’d expect to see around Cache Creek and Ashcroft.”
Many bats like to roost in buildings, especially up in the rafters in the attic where it is warm and dark (“They get into buildings fairly regularly,” says Burles). They also roost in old trees with loose bark or cavities, in cliff-faces and crevices, and in caves and old mines.
“If you leave them alone and don’t get too close, they won’t bother you. If you see a live bat on the floor, don’t touch it and leave it alone; it will eventually make its way outside. If you see a dead bat, don’t touch it with your bare hands; wear gloves if you need to touch it. You should really never touch bats.”
He says that typical bat behaviour is roosting all day and not coming out until after dusk. “They’re very nocturnal animals. If you see a bat out in the day, there’s probably something wrong with it. And bats aren’t usually very aggressive; if you see a very aggressive bat, that is often a sign of rabies.”
He says that members of the public should report unusual bat behaviour, either by emailing their regional office of the BC Community Bat Program (for the Thompson region the address is thompson@bcbats.ca) or call a 24-hour hotline at 1-855-922-2287.
Jennifer Jeyes, a communicable disease specialist with Interior Health, points out that you cannot tell just by looking at a bat if it is sick or has rabies. “The virus is transmitted through saliva, commonly through a bite or scratch to the skin, so it’s important to avoid coming into contact with bats. Bat bites can be small, so if you’ve come into contact with one it’s important to collect information and immediately get assessed by a physician to see if you are at risk and need treatment.”
Houses and cabins can be made “bat proof” by taking a few simple steps, such as keeping doors and windows closed, making sure window screens do not have holes, and keeping attic vents properly closed. If a bat does get in the house, do not chase it or try to kill it; simply open the window and close the door of the room it is in and let it leave.
If your home or workplace is inhabited by bats, seek professional bat-control advice from a pest control or wildlife specialist. Bats are a protected species under the BC Wildlife Act, and excluding or evicting bats from their roost site so they move to another roost is the best way to remove them.
Burles says that it is fairly common to receive reports of cats bringing in dead bats; either ones they have killed, or ones they have found dead. “Cats are a significant predator of bats. It’s a remote chance, but if the bat was rabid the cat can contract the disease, as can any mammal.
“If your cat brought in a dead bat, it’s worth talking to your vet about it as soon as possible. There’s a period of time after infection that we can do something about it and prevent it with shots, but once a mammal starts to show signs of rabies it’s too late, and almost 100 per cent of untreated cases are fatal.”
Jeyes notes that bats are a very important and valuable species. “They’re insectivores, and can eat a huge amount of insects. They can consume more than their own body weight in insects in one night. They’re great to have around, but we want people to avoid them.”
