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August 13, 2007
It's that 'batty' time of year in the region
ASSOCIATED PRESS - Bats are active at this time of year, like this
Ohio critter seen in 2006. While they eat many insects, they too can be
a nuisance, and, if rabid, a threat.
(reprinted from The Guelph Mercury)
They can squeeze through holes
the size of a dime and live undetected for years
in attics, walls and roofs.
Their bites can cause rabies;
their feces, histoplasmosis, which can cause
flu-like symptoms and serious illness in the
very young, the elderly and those with weakened
immune systems.
But it's the sight of bats that
leads to most of the calls to Humane Wildlife
Control. The company, which specializes in
getting rid of unwanted animals and is certified
by the SPCA, even has a 24-hour emergency line.
"There's the fear factor," said
technician supervisor Brandon Crawford. "For
some reason, people are more scared of bats than
other animals."
And it's the height of bat
season in Hamilton.
The rabies-toting mammals are
busy fattening up in preparation for the winter
and the young are trying their wings for the
first time, which often brings them into
unwanted places -- like the bedroom.
Hamilton's public health
department issued a bat rabies warning last week
and officials say that more than 140 people have
reported bat "exposures" in their home this
month alone.
So far, the city has seen one
confirmed case of bat rabies this year.
Health officials say that anyone
touched by a bat or who awakens to find a bat in
their room should seek medical advice, as a
bat's razor sharp teeth can cause a painless
bite.
There's at least one call a
night to the emergency line this time of year,
said Crawford.
Technicians have arrived at a
house in the middle of the night to find an
entire family camped out in a tent set up in the
living room, hiding from a bat.
On another call, they were
greeted by a Tiger-Cats player -- Crawford won't
name names -- out on his front porch with a
blanket pulled over his head.
Saturday morning, Crawford and
two technicians were getting ready to rid
another home of unwanted guests.
"Usually people find out they
have bats in the house when there's one flying
around," said Crawford. "Ninety-nine per cent of
the time, if you've got one in the house, you've
got more."
The house on Aberdeen Avenue
near Dundurn Street sits smack in the middle of
Hamilton's bat land. The old brick houses in the
area are perfect for bats to crawl through gaps
between bricks or around the eaves.
"When it comes to bats
especially, they can sneak into everything,"
said technician Riley Schmidt.
The bat guys don't kill the
critters. In an emergency, they'll catch the bat
and get it out of the house.
Any time a bat has been in
contact with a human, it's sent off to be tested
for rabies.
For a job like the one on
Aberdeen -- removing and preventing bats, along
with squirrels -- they install one-way doors at
entry points so bats can leave but not come
back. All other gaps are sealed with caulking or
screen.
It usually takes two to three
weeks for the bats to be out of a house.
Simply sealing holes doesn't
work, according to the bat guys. A colony of
dead bats in the wall will bring a severely
unpleasant odour, but bats often find another
way in and out before it gets to that.
Through all the work,
technicians hardly ever come in contact with
bats.
"We can't just pluck them out of
the walls," said Crawford. "We're just too big."
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