County Offers Advice on Safe Bat Handling

By KRISTIAN CONNOLLY
OTSEGO COUNTY

In the region known as the home of baseball, it’s not surprising to find some concern about how some folks are handling their bats.

But we’re not talking about swinging lumber on the ballfield. We’re talking about everyone’s favorite flying mammal: Vespertilionidae, or the common bat. And what’s alarming, according to the Otsego County Department of Health, is that this year’s rise in county residents being started on a post-exposure vaccination course for rabies can be linked to one factor in particular: Residents do not know the proper way to handle a bat.

In data last updated August 20, the county health department reports that it “has started 50 individuals on Rabies Post Exposure Prophylaxis (vaccination).”

Laura Bryant, LPN, is the rabies coordinator for the county health department’s immunization program. Bryant said that while the number of animal samples collected in the county and being sent out for rabies testing is on par with other years, there does feel like there’s been a noticeable uptick in the number of humans being treated for possible rabies exposure. Treatment involves a four-shot regimen given over a two-week period, with the first shot boosted with immunoglobulin to help the immune system.

“The 50 doses of ‘post-exposure’ are because we have not been able to test an animal, or we had a sample that was unsatisfactory, so for safety reasons [we start the vaccination course],” said Bryant, who also noted that there have been no recorded cases in the county of a human contracting rabies.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bats are statistically the most commonly reported animals to have rabies, and that most people in the U.S. who die of rabies were exposed to a bat with rabies.

In an effort to combat potential human and pet exposure to a possibly infected bat, the Otsego County Rabies Information and Statistics webpage directs people to an informative, three-minute, 10-second video produced by the Minnesota Department of Health about how you can safely remove a bat from your living space.

The short version of how to safely collect a bat: Don’t panic, don’t grab any tools or sporting goods to try to kill the bat, do use a Tupperware or shoebox with ventilation holes and, if certain conditions exist—like you or someone else has been bitten, or been asleep in the same room before the bat was captured, or you’re not sure if either is true—then once you’ve caught the bat, take it to the appropriate authorities so the bat can be tested for rabies.

If none of the conditions exist that raise the alarm for rabies transmission, then you can release your bat back into the wild as you would a spider or a moth.

Said Bryant: “What we advise people is once you’ve captured the bat, or if you have any questions, please contact our office [at (607) 547-4230]. If it’s after hours, contact the 911 center, and ask to speak to somebody from the Otsego County Department of Health, and they will page the on-call person, and we will contact you right away, because we always have someone available to answer any questions or to assist with this. If in doubt, please contact us. We’re always happy to answer questions.”

A second reason for an increased number of instances of possible human exposure to rabies, according to the county health department? Citizens who are not adhering to state law by ensuring that their pets are up to date on rabies vaccination.

To help remedy that issue, the county offers free rabies vaccination clinics throughout the year, with three more currently scheduled for 2024, each from 6-8 p.m.: Tuesday, September 10 at the Burlington Flats Town Barn; Thursday, October 3 at the Otego Fire Department; and Thursday, December 5 at the Hartwick Seminary Fire Department.

Noting that “dogs, cats and ferrets can be taken to any clinic,” the county encourages any questions to be directed to the Department of Health at (607) 547-4230.

In addition to the county clinics, the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has partnered with the county health department to offer additional free rabies vaccinations once a month, with the schedule currently set for 3-6 p.m. on the following three Mondays: September 23, October 28 and November 18. Questions about SQSPCA clinics can be directed to (607) 547-8111.

“We feel that knowledge is power, and we’d just like to share the knowledge so that people can protect themselves, and to prevent themselves [from having to vaccinate],” said Bryant, before later adding, “It’s better to be safe than sorry, and if your pet is not vaccinated and we can’t test the animal, then your pet goes into six months of quarantine, which is not easy for a pet. For people, we can give you the post-exposure, but it’s not always easy, and it’s not always cheap [or a pleasant experience].”

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation wants people to know that “bats are misunderstood creatures,” and are “amazing, beneficial animals [that] have an undeserved bad reputation.”

The internationally focused organization Bat Conservation International reports that “globally, bats provide vital ecosystem services in the form of insect pest consumption, plant pollination, and seed dispersal, making them essential to the health of global ecosystems.” But, warns BCI, “Today, bats are under unprecedented threat from widespread habitat destruction, accelerated climate change, invasive species, and other stresses. Without concerted international action, their populations will continue to fall, driving many species to extinction.”

So learning how to properly handle and remove a bat from your living space is not only important for protecting your health and your pet’s health, but also vital for the health of the planet.
What’s the most-basic advice Bryant has to offer? It’s two-fold.

First, said Bryant, “Bat-proof your house. Usually it’s around the eaves, around the chimneys…Any place a mouse can go, a bat can go.”

And if that doesn’t work?

“Capture the bat, and then contact us,” said Bryant. “If you have any questions, if you’re not sure, capture the bat, and then contact us. And if you don’t feel comfortable releasing the bat, bring it to us, and we can release it. If in doubt, call us. If you don’t feel safe making that decision, call us, and we can advise.”