August Brings Increased Risk for Rabies

For release: July 31, 2006

As bat season begins in Ontario, risk of rabies increases

With summer half over, bats born earlier in June are starting to leave their roosting site. This means increased contact with people in homes and businesses. Many public health departments warn anyone that may have come into contact with a bat to consult a health professional immediately and, if possible, bring the bat in for testing.

“Because of their small size, bat bites can go unnoticed and the bats may be difficult to catch,” cautions Humane Wildlife Control President Bill Dowd. “So health units often advise extra caution when it comes to bats and rabies,” he adds.

Real Danger of Bites When Sleeping

Bats are nocturnal and come out at night. Baby bats are often disoriented when they first leave the roosting site and can gain entry to living spaces. If this occurs while you are sleeping, there is a potential for the bat to bite you without knowing. Health units warn people of this very situation and advise anyone finding a bat in their living space in the morning to seek medical attention.

Brown Bats Common in Ontario Can Carry Other Diseases

• Bed bugs are a growing problem in Ontario and Quebec cities. Bats are common carriers of bed bugs, which multiply and look for other hosts, such as pets and people, when they roost in buildings. They are extremely difficult to eradicate and bites can cause serious itching and welts.
• Bats produce a lot of feces (guano), which if inhaled by humans, can cause an incurable respiratory disease called histoplasmosis. The very young, very old and those with impaired immune systems are at greatest risk for severe illness.
• Although most bats are not rabid, they are the most common species to carry rabies. Symptoms can take up to one year to appear, and if not treated quickly, serious illness and death can result.

Difficult to Detect, Remove and Keep Out

• Health units do not recommend people remove bats themselves because of potential health risks.
• Brown bats are very difficult to detect in walls, attics and roofs. They should be removed before temperatures get colder or they will go dormant for the winter.
• Bats feed on a 24-48 hour cycle. Plugging a hole after they leave at night may seal half the colony in and cause building damage and disease.
• A bat can squeeze through a hole the size of a dime. Only proper sealing can ensure they do not enter or return.

Humane and Effective Removal the Best Method

• Humane Wildlife Control uses humane methods to remove bats and keep babies with their mothers.
• Professional operators guarantee their work – both the removal of the bat and making sure they don’t come back.

“We have a love-hate relationship with bats,” says Bill Dowd. “They can transmit bad diseases, but also help prevent them because they eat lots of insects like mosquitoes, which can transmit West Nile Virus,” he points out.

Humane Wildlife Control (formerly AAA Wildlife Control Hamilton Inc. and AAA Wildlife Control Ottawa Inc.) has been an industry leader since 1989, and has pioneered several humane removal and exclusion techniques for a wide variety of urban animals.

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NOTE: High resolution photos of bats available upon request.

For more information:

Bill Dowd, President
1-877-222-3459 ext 220