Methownet BB

Hello,

I have found a bat that is need of help. Anyone have a lead on where I can take him?

Thanks!

-Tink

775-9oh1-1oh47

If you don't already know this, it's important to be aware that bats are the only mammal in WA state that are known to carry rabies. They shouldn't be handled at all because a bite or scratch can transmit the virus and their teeth are very small, so bites can easily go unnoticed. Abnormal behavior (being out in daytime, laying on ground, appearing sick, or injured, etc.) can indicate and increase the risk that the bat has rabies, but they may also not show any signs and still carry the virus.

Anyone who has been bitten or even handled a bat (because bites go unnoticed) should contact the health department and be evaluated for post-exposure treatment (treatment is ~100% effective if sought quickly enough; rabies is 100% fatal if you actually get the disease).

Also, I think bats are really cool and they are very important creatures for a lot of reasons; they certainly shouldn't be feared or killed or anything like that, it's just necessary to be aware of the risk mentioned above.

As far as somewhere that will attempt to treat or rehabilitate a wild bat, unfortunately I don't think that service exists here.

The closest WDFW licensed wildlife rehabilitation center is located in Arlington in Skagit County. Sarvey Wildlife Care Center at (360) 435-4817. I recently took an injured Owl over there and they are really awesome folks. It's a non-profit organization with a limited budget doing really great work on behalf of all the wildlife we share the world with. They do not have the ability to come and pick up the injured animals, but they will accept them to their facility if you call ahead and let them know you are coming. They can provide detailed directions on how to get there.
Regards,
Bruce Moran
Mazama

Thanks for all the info and calls everyone.

Unfortunately, the bat did not make it through the day.

Bummer.

-Tink

There are several animals in Washington that carry the rabies virus, Raccoons, Skunks, Bats, Foxes, and Coyotes...please be aware of this, thank you

Good information posted above. Sorry the bat didn't make it, Tink.

Bats often get a bad rap but really are unique mammals. I may have posted this before on the BB but it's one of my favorite poems written by one of my favorite American poets:

"Bats" by Randall Jarrell
(published 1964)

A bat is born
Naked and blind and pale.
His mother makes a pocket of her tail
and catches him. He clings to her long fur
By his thumbs and toes and teeth.
And then the mother dances through the night
Doubling and looping, soaring, somersaulting--
Her baby hangs on underneath.
All night, in happiness, she hunts and flies.
Her high sharp cries
Like shining needlepoints of sound
Go out into the night, and echoing back,
Tell her what they have touched.
She hears how far it is, how big it is,
Which way it's going:
She lives by hearing.
The mother eats the moths and gnats she catches
In full flight; in full flight
The mother drinks the water of the pond
She skims across. Her baby hangs on tight.
Her baby drinks the milk she makes him
In moonlight or starlight, in mid-air.
Their single shadow, printed on the moon
Or fluttering across the stars,
Whirls on all night; at daybreak
The tired mother flaps home to her rafter.
The others all are there.
They hang themselves up by their toes,
They wrap themselves in their brown wings.
Bunched upside-down, they sleep in air.
Their sharp ears, their sharp teeth, their quick sharp faces
Are dull and slow and mild.
All the bright day, as the mother sleeps,
She folds her wings about her sleeping child.

Nice poem! I agree that a lot of the fear around bats in general is misplaced and they are very cool animals. To clarify something about rabies in WA state in particular, here's a quote from the WA DOH:

"Some states have other animals with rabies, such as raccoons, skunks, or foxes. In Washington, bats are the only known mammal to carry rabies. While rabid raccoons, skunks, foxes, or coyotes have not been identified recently in Washington, the virus can be transmitted from bats to these mammals."

The just means that these other animals aren't the actual source of rabies in WA like they are in other states. I would certainly contact the health department if bitten by one of them, however!