Whoa! Stop right there! (Does this sound like a song you're familar with?)
But bats are NOT harmless and they shouldn't be classified as a nuisance such as birds that sometimes get into a bldg!
Per Wikipedia:
Pathogens and role in the transmission of zoonosesAmong ectoparasites, bats occasionally carry fleas, but are one of the few mammalian orders that cannot host lice (most of the others are water animals).
Bats are natural reservoir for a large number of zoonotic pathogens[58] including rabies,[59] severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS),[60] Henipavirus (i.e. Nipah virus and Hendra virus)[61] and possibly ebola virus.[62][63] Their high mobility, broad distribution, and social behaviour (communal roosting, fission-fusion social structure) make bats favourable hosts and vectors of disease. Many species also appear to have a high tolerance for harbouring pathogens and often do not develop disease while infected. However, contrary to folklore, this is not true of rabies, which is as fatal to bats as it is to all other species. However, a bat may be ill with rabies for a longer time than other mammals.[citation needed]In regions where rabies is endemic, only 0.5% of bats carry the disease. However, of the few cases of rabies reported in the United States every year not caused by dogs, most are caused by bat bites.[64] Those that are rabid may be clumsy, disoriented, and unable to fly, which makes it more likely that they will come into contact with humans. Although one should not have an unreasonable fear of bats, one should avoid handling them or having them in one's living space, as with any wild animal. If a bat is found in living quarters near a child, mentally handicapped person, intoxicated person, sleeping person, or pet, the person or pet should receive immediate medical attention for rabies. Bats have very small teeth and can bite a sleeping person without being felt. There is evidence that it is possible for the bat rabies virus to infect victims purely through airborne transmission, without direct physical contact of the victim with the bat itself.[65][66]If a bat is found in a house and the possibility of exposure cannot be ruled out, the bat should be sequestered and an animal control officer called immediately, so that the bat can be analysed. This also applies if the bat is found dead. If it is certain that nobody has been exposed to the bat, it should be removed from the house. The best way to do this is to close all the doors and windows to the room except one that opens to the outside. The bat should soon leave.
Due to the risk of rabies and also due to health problems related to their faecal droppings (guano), bats should be excluded from inhabited parts of houses. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides full detailed information on all aspects of bat management, including how to capture a bat, what to do in case of exposure, and how to bat-proof a house humanely.[67] In certain countries, such as the United Kingdom, it is illegal to handle bats without a license.
Where rabies is not endemic, as throughout most of Western Europe, small bats can be considered harmless. Larger bats can give a nasty bite. They should be treated with the respect due to any wild animal".....[/COLOR]
They DO eat insects and many people even erect special "Bat Houses" to encourage them to roost in their yard to keep the mosquito population down. However, I would definitely NOT want one inside my living quarters - or the lobby of same!
For the CM to say "there is nothing we can do about it" it patently false. There are procedures for getting rid of them humanely.
And you are well within your rights to be frightened!
A bat burst thru our screen door one summer evening several years ago, unbeknownst to us. I kept hearing a strange noise like lightweight chains being rubbed together thru the night. My dog was going bananas, but we couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. (Sad to say I reprimanded her many times thru the night for making a rukus). She was eventually banished to the cellar.
In the morning we found a completely disoriented bat struggling across the living room floor. He had hooked one of his feet in the (shag) carpeting and was trapped but still flailing around. My neice & nephew were sleeping on the couch in the living room - not even 4 - 5 feet from that bat! We had them over for the weekend and they chose to sleep on the floor in the living room where the tv was. Thank goodness they got comfortable on the couch during the night and didn't stay laying on the floor. My husband was out of town at the time, so my neighbor caught and destroyed the bat. That was before I knew the dangers of rabies or we all would have had to undergo the "shots". I will never again take a bat (inside or outside) lightly!
As for birds - did you know that you can get Psittacosis from bird droppings? Definitely would not want to eat somewhere where birds were frequenting! Usually not a life threatening disease, but unpleasant, nevertheless.
Could you tell I'm a nurse?
And please let me say that I'm not one of those paranoid people who go around wiping every surface with bleach - but I do make it a habit to wash my hands and keep my table clean.
And I say, don't let those bats get anywhere near ya!
I am sorry to read this, and pretty horrified too! I am trying to book WL for May right now, and this is not exactly what I was expecting to read on here! I've stayed there 4 times, and never once seen anything worse than a mosquito or love bug flying around.
