The good, the bat, the ugly

Creatures vital to ecosystem



IN THE BELFRY—The grey-headed flying fox is one of the world’s largest bats with a wing span that can reach more than 3 feet. This particular species is common to Australia.

IN THE BELFRY—The grey-headed flying fox is one of the world’s largest bats with a wing span that can reach more than 3 feet. This particular species is common to Australia.

Jason Miller wishes more people appreciated bats and understood their value in nature.

Miller, a professor at Cal State Channel Islands in Camarillo, studies bats as an expert in math, not wildlife biology.

Miller said that as Halloween approaches each year, bats become a symbol of spookiness. While it’s true bats have the potential to spread rabies to humans, he said, bats play important roles in the ecosystem, too.

“Bats in America are sorely misunderstood,” Miller said. “They’re celebrated to be this icon of Halloween and fear.”

Miller conducts research to help identify the numerous bat species that live in Ventura County, including California myotis and Mexican free-tailed bats.

Bats use echoes from sound waves they create to navigate and hunt insects at night, and Miller uses that fact to conduct his research.

He deploys ultrasonic bat detectors to record bat noises that are generally too high-pitched for humans to hear. Some bat detectors are hand-held; others he leaves in areas where there are lots of bats, then he comes back to retrieve the data later on.

UP CLOSE—This Townsend’s big-eared bat was nursed back to health by volunteers with the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. Courtesy of Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network

UP CLOSE—This Townsend’s big-eared bat was nursed back to health by volunteers with the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. Courtesy of Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network

“I think it’s an interesting idea that we’re able to identify the bats without having to catch them,” he said.

Because bats are active at night and are typically hard to see, most people are not aware of how extremely common the winged mammals are in the area.

“In any neighborhood at dusk, you can look up and see little bats flying around. They almost look like swallows in that they’ll flap rapidly but they turn very, very quickly,” he said. “I mean, they’re everywhere.”

Bats are beneficial to people in a number of ways. They consume insects that can cause economic damage to the agricultural industry and spread disease.

“That’s a direct benefit for us, especially in this day of mosquito borne illnesses like West Nile virus,” Miller said.

Bats also pollinate many plant species in the same way birds and butterflies do.

“They’re a huge economic boon,” said Miller, adding that bats pollinate agave plants used to produce tequila.

“Some tequila manufacturers have agreed to harvest agave in a way that’s bat-friendly, and then their tequila gets a little bat decal,” he said.

Attitudes about bats vary around the world, and Miller said the animals are symbols of luck and good fortune in some Asian countries.

Miller said he enjoys visiting a restaurant in Camarillo called Love Pho N’ Mor, where there’s a vivid example of cultural differences regarding bats.

“There’s this wooden statue of a Buddha and he’s holding very tenderly against his belly this big bat. And that’s just a really nice symbol of how our culture can embrace this really special animal,” he said.

Officials with Ventura County Animal Services do not have such warm feelings about bats. Preventing people from contracting rabies is one of the department’s main goals.

“Bats are the most established species that carries the rabies virus,” said Donna Gillesby, VCAS deputy director. “Basically, when you get it, you die.”

People who see sick, injured or dead bats are urged to contact VCAS, which will send someone to pick up the animal and test it for rabies.

About 100 bats have been collected by VCAS since January 2020 and four tested positive for rabies, Gillesby said. People who find a bat should never touch one with bare hands, and instead should use gloves or put a box over the bat.

Dogs known to have been in contact with bats must be quarantined because dogs can be infected with rabies, too. That’s why VCAS requires all dogs to be vaccinated for rabies before issuing pet owners a dog license.

Local laws require dogs over 4 months old to be vaccinated and licensed. Dog owners who make a false declaration about their pet’s vaccination status can face a citation.

Human cases in the United States are extremely rare since treatments are available to prevent infection. It usually takes about a month for rabies symptoms to appear in humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most recent CDC data shows about one to three human cases are reported in the U.S. each year.

A Chicago-area man died of rabies last month, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Public Health

Officials said the man, who was in his 80s, woke up with a bat on his neck and that the animal later tested positive for rabies. The man was told he needed to be treated, but he declined. He became ill with symptoms including numbness and difficulty speaking about a month later.

“Rabies has the highest mortality rate of any disease,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “However, there is lifesaving treatment for individuals who quickly seek care after being exposed to an animal with rabies. If you think you may have been exposed to rabies, immediately seek medical attention and follow the recommendations of healthcare providers and public health officials.”

About 60,000 Americans receive the post-exposure vaccination series each year.

CDC officials say that even though rabies is preventable with treatment, more than 59,000 people die of rabies every year worldwide. Most deaths happen in areas with less-sophisticated medical facilities than the U.S. and where dogs are less likely to be vaccinated against the disease.

Despite the dangers posed by rabid bats, there are animal rescue groups devoted to saving ones found sick or injured in Ventura County.

The nonprofit Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network accepts bats found in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Lauren Gonzales, communications manager, said the organization helps bats that can be saved and don’t carry the rabies virus.

“We rescue them, we rehabilitate them and ideally release them back where they came from,” she said..