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The BC Community Bat Program is encouraging residents to leave bats alone. At this time of year bats are moving around a lot. This means people are more likely to see them. For the safety of both people and the bats, it’s important to remember to leave them alone and to never touch a bat.
In BC there are at least 15 different species of bats. Some, like the Little Brown Myotis are found in urban areas of BC. “Bats are the hardest-working and often the most underappreciated of all wildlife,” says Paula Rodriguez de la Vega, coordinator for the BC Community Bat Program. “A Little Brown Myotis weighs less than a loonie and can vacuum up hundreds of mosquitoes and other insects in a single evening.”
In BC, bats have the important role of controlling insect populations. In other parts of the world, bats also pollinate plants, disperse seeds and even provide humans with medicines.
“Summer is family time for bats, with females gathering in tightly packed maternity colonies to each raise a single pup,” says Rodriguez de la Vega. “Come August, pups are fully able to fly and sometimes these young ‘teenagers’ don’t come back to the maternity roosting site.” This is when people start to see more bat activity and sometimes see solitary bats roosting out in the open.
If a bat is roosting on a vertical surface like a wall, a fence, or an umbrella, the best thing to do is leave it alone. “Give it space, keep children and pets away, and wait until the evening to watch it fly away,” says Rodriguez de la Vega. If it’s in a busy area, consider putting a pylon, a chair, or something in front of that spot so that people don’t accidentally bump into it. “If you want to go the extra mile, you can put a sign up that says “Sh! Bat sleeping. Leave it alone. It will fly off tonight or in a few days.”
If it’s in an area where children play, visit www.bcbats.ca to learn how to move it safely.
Bats receive a lot of negative attention in the media due to the risk of rabies. Less than 0.5% of bats carry rabies. People can only get rabies if there is ‘direct contact’ with a bat. This means a person is bitten or scratched by a bat, or the bat had contact with an open wound on a person, or if a person handles a bat with bare hands.
Bats prefer to rest hanging upside down, so if you find a bat on the ground, you can suspect the bat is either dehydrated, injured or ill - OR it may be a juvenile that fell from a roost or landed badly while learning to fly. Do not touch them. Visit www.bcbats.ca or call the bat toll free line at 1-855-9BC-BATS for directions.
“We want to remind people to never touch a bat,” says Rodriguez de la Vega. “If you are bitten or scratched by a bat you should immediately wash the wound well with soap and water under a running tap for at least 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water. Seek medical attention immediately from a healthcare provider or local public health unit or call 811.”
If pets come into contact with a bat, immediately call a veterinarian. The vet is responsible for a risk assessment and may contact the general Public Health Veterinarian for support.
Bats are protected under the BC Wildlife Act and it’s important to not disturb them. Bats will soon be gone. In winter, they vanish into caves, hollow trees or on the coast, sometimes to abandoned cottage attics. Most species survive the winter in a state of hibernation. Two species of bats migrate south for the winter.
The BC Community Bat Program is made possible thanks to the generous donations of many supporters as well as funding from the BC government and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. It is administered by the BC Conservation Foundation and regionally supported by many volunteers, partners, and grants.