Date: 11/17/11
Contact: Margie Klein
Phone: (702) 486-5127 x3502

TIME TO APPRICIATE BATS

Now that Halloween is over, we can stop thinking of bats as scary creatures and look at them for their beneficial characteristics. Too many myths surround these interesting animals.
They are not threatening. However, many species of bats are threatened. Numbers of bats are on the decline due to a number of risks:  white nose syndrome, loss of habitat, pesticide use, and disturbance of winter roosts.

The amount of bats found to carry rabies is less than one percent. In order to contract the disease from a bat, a person would have to get bitten by one. Typically this would require a person to pick it up or handle it in some fashion, said Tracy Kipke, a habitat biologist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). A bat on the ground is an indication that it is sick and you should not touch it. Healthy bats do not randomly attack people and bats do not make nests in people’s hair.
Vampire bats live in South America, and rather than piercing and sucking, they make a tiny tear in the skin of an animal such as a chicken or cow, and lick up the droplets of blood that ooze forth.

While incorrect information has created a fear of bats, the truth is that we need to protect them, especially in winter. Winter is a precarious time for the animals, as they are hibernating and conserving energy resources. Any disturbance will arouse them from their sleep, using up those precious resources, without which they could starve.  Although bats do normally awaken from their torpor every few weeks, any unnecessary awakening is stressful to them.  Female bats are carrying young, and their maternity roosts are especially vulnerable. Though bats generally only give birth to one pup per year, there are some species in Nevada that will have more than one, said Kipke. However, pup mortality is very high without artificial factors playing a role. The limited energy resources the females are storing during the winter are channeled into the developing young. 

In the eastern U.S., winter disturbance is especially devastating to the bats because many have contracted white-nose syndrome. The fungus forces them to arouse from torpor more often, using up their fat resources, and has the potential to kill entire colonies. In these areas, cave closure is required and some federal land managers in the Rocky Mountains have started to implement this protective measure.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. Find us on Facebook or Twitter.