“Humans seem to be having more encounters with bats this year than at any time in recent memory,” said Kim Kandarian, Communicable Diseases nurse for Ventura County Public Health. “A day doesn’t go by when I don’t get a call.”

Aside from an increase in phone calls, there is no objective way to confirm an increase in Ventura County’s bat population. With the rainy season we just experienced, there appear to be more insects around which would tend to increase the bat population. Bats live throughout Ventura County. Many of our residents have never seen one. Those that have are most likely to have seen a colony of bats flying around the sky just as the sun sets.

Bats are a major predator of night-flying insects, including pests that cost farmers billions of dollars annually. They eat insects by the hundreds, consuming about half their body weight in bugs each day. Studies of bats have contributed to medical advances, including the development of navigational aids for the blind. Unfortunately, many species are now endangered. Other than their appearance, which some find frightening, there is very little one can find wrong with a bat.

What most humans do not ever get to see is a bat up close and personal. There’s a reason for this: what sane bat goes out in the daytime or enters a person’s home or flops down on a side walk in front of a human? Avoiding humans is one of the ways that bats survive.

So when you do run into a bat during the course of your everyday life, there’s a pretty good chance there’s something wrong with that bat. And one of the chief things that cause a bat to behave abnormally is rabies.
Unlike humans, it’s not clear whether all bats that get the rabies virus are destined to die. Scientists know that about 1% of the bats in a normal, healthy bat colony do have rabies. But it’s still not known if some bats can remain alive as healthy rabies carriers. We do know, however, that many bats that become infected with the rabies virus get sick and die. And during their illness they often behave abnormally. They fly through people’s homes, dive bomb swimming pools and wind up on garbage can lids or in the mouths of rambunctious dogs.

Since encountering a bat up close in your daily life is not normal behavior for the bat, you should call Animal Services if you do. Experience tells us that bats that you stumble across have about a 10% chance of being rabid. Do not handle the bat. If you wish to both detain the bat and keep it away from curious children, pets and yes, even other adult humans, cover it with something like a waste paper basket. Animal Services can be reached at 388-4341. If a bat bites someone, or is handled by a person or a pet, or if you come across one that is unable to fly, or if you awaken from a sleep and find a bat in your bedroom, do your best to contain the bat (such as by closing the bedroom door) and call Animal Services. The bat will be turned over to the Ventura County Public Health Laboratory and studied for rabies. If the bat tests positive, it will mean that a doctor is going to need to make the decision whether the person who handled the bat or awakened to find it in their room will need to receive the rabies vaccine. The rabies vaccine consists of a series of 5 shots given over 1 month as well as another shot called rabies immune globulin (RIG). Tens of thousands of people are successfully vaccinated each year after being bitten by an animal that may have rabies. However, a few people die of rabies each year in the United States, usually because they do not recognize the risk of rabies from the bite of a wild animal and do not seek medical advice. Any wild mammal, like a raccoon, skunk, fox, or bat, can have rabies and transmit it to people.

People who have been bitten by a bat while sleeping or inebriated won’t know that they’ve been bitten, and the bite of a bat may leave no marks whatsoever.

The time between a person’s exposure to a rabid animal and the development of symptoms can be anywhere from days to years, though usually it is 4 to 6 weeks. Usual symptoms include anxiety or fear, difficulty swallowing and seizures. Once symptoms develop, death is almost inevitable.

Because there is no guarantee that a rabid bat will behave any differently than a normal one, it is best never to handle any bat.

Ventura County residents can also protect themselves by making sure that their pets are up to date on their rabies vaccine.

Some bats live in buildings. There may be no reason to exclude them if they will not come into contact with people. However, bats should always be prevented from entering rooms of your home. To learn how to “bat-proof” your home, call an animal-control or wildlife conservation agency. It’s not that difficult to “bat-proof” your home yourself. Examine your home for holes that might allow bats to enter into your living quarters. Any openings larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch should be caulked. Use window screens, chimney caps, and draft guards beneath doors to attics, fill electrical and plumbing holes with steel wool or caulking, and ensure that all doors to the outside close tightly. Additional “bat-proofing” can prevent bats from roosting in attics or buildings by covering outside entry points. Observe where the bats exit at dusk and exclude them by loosely hanging clear plastic sheeting or bird netting over these areas. Bats can crawl out and leave, but won’t be able to reenter. After the bats have been excluded, the openings can be permanently sealed. During summer, many young bats are unable to fly. If you exclude adult bats during this time, the young may be trapped inside. Thus, if possible, avoid exclusion from May through August. Most bats leave in the fall or winter to hibernate, so these are the best times to “bat-proof” your home.