The following story below was posted on Nextdoor by Whatcom County. Since this is important for our area and bats are prevalent this year I thought it might be good to repost this info as a reminder to everyone to leave bats alone and steer clear.
That being said: PLEASE REMEMBER THAT BATS ALSO PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN PEST CONTROL, POLLINATING PLANTS, AND DISPERSING SEEDS. THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR ECO STSTEM AND CAN
EASILY BE AVOIDED. All species of bats are classified as protected wildlife and cannot be hunted, trapped, or killed.
The below was posted by Whatcom county as a caution:
"Recent studies estimate that bats eat enough pests to save more than $1 billion per year in crop damage and pesticide costs in the United States corn industry alone.
A close encounter with rabies doesn’t always come from an animal attack. One local Whatcom resident had a close encounter recently that could happen to anyone. After working outside with his doors open all day, the resident came inside that evening to find a bat on his floor. His dogs had been with him most of the day, but also in and out of the house. He didn’t know if the dogs had come in contact with the bat or not. What this resident did know is that bats in Washington state can carry rabies. He threw a towel over the bat, carefully picked up the towel and bat wearing leather gloves so the bat could not bite him, and put it into a pet carrier. The bat died overnight and the resident contacted Whatcom County Health and Community Service (WCHCS) the next morning. We assessed the potential for human exposure and found that the resident’s quick actions kept him safe from any risk of infection. Fortunately, his dogs were up to date on their rabies shots and he followed our advice to get the dogs a rabies booster shot the next day. Even though the dogs were protected by their rabies shots, he opted to get the bat tested. Test results confirmed that the bat did have rabies. It’s important to know what to do (and not to do) if you find a bat on your property or in your home. Learn more about bats and rabies at
and
If you think you may have been exposed or have concerns about a potentially rabid animal, contact us at
360-778-6000
. Our experts are here to help!"
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