From hanging on doorways to napping on the driveway 鈥� the number of calls involving bats appearing in strange places have increased as of late, says the B.C. Community Bat Program.
Each year in July and August, the young pups spread their wings and hit the air to fly for the first time, but their navigational skills aren't always up to par with their adult counterparts, said Linda Brooymans, the program's mid-Island bat coordinator. Adding in heat, smoke and the occasional windy, inclement weather, and the animals may find themselves in some unexpected places come dawn.
"They need to find a place to roost, but they can't get back to their roost in time before the sun comes up," Brooymans explained. "So they end up in weird spots and have to quickly find a place to hang out until the next night. So people find them and they're alarmed because there wasn't a bat there before."
Through her work with the bat program and as stewardship coordinator with Nanaimo and Area Land Trust, Brooymans often gets a call when bats appear. Her advice is to avoid unnecessary contact.
"If they find a bat and it's hanging out, it's high and it's safe from predators and it's not at risk of having a human child, for instance, handling it or coming into contact with it, you can just leave them where they are. But if you do find them on the ground or find them low to the ground where household cats or dogs or children could come into contact with them, they should be moved away."
Brooymans said the bat may look dead, but this is just torpor. The bat may also make small movements.
"Sometimes [residents] are worried it needs to go to a wildlife rehab facility, but actually it's usually better to just leave it be where it is or help it get to a tree so it can find a safe place to wait out the day."
Keeping the bat from being exposed to skin is vital. While Vancouver Island's bat species are all valued insectivores that keep mosquito populations down and look cute while doing it, they are also potential rabies carriers.
about 0.5 per cent of bats in B.C. carry rabies.
"They should be carefully removed with some thick gloves or putting them into a box and making sure you do not touch them with bare hands," Brooymans said. "Finding them a location where they can climb up a tree, for instance, which is often a natural roosting location for a lot of bat species anyways. They will climb up the tree and eventually when they wake up out of their torpor, they'll leave the area."
If a scratch or bite is suspected, the BCCDC instructs people to wash the area with soap and water for 15 minutes, then flush with water. They should contact their doctor as soon as possible or go to the emergency department, as rabies in humans can be prevented if shots are received in time. More information can be found online at .
"That's really important. I always have to follow up with these calls even if they say, 'oh I just put the bat in the tree' because I have to make sure that there was no contact with the bat. If they did have some contact, they have to connect with their health-care provider immediately to see whether they're at risk for contracting rabies, which is a serious disease."
When nightfall comes, Brooymans said the young bats are expected to fly back to their colonies and likely won't be seen again.
For more information on safely moving a bat or reporting bat sightings, residents can visit the , e-mail midisland@bcbats.ca or call 250-714-1990.
