- Q. I found a Bat what should I do?
- A. Telephone the National Bat Helpline on 0845 1300 228 (local rate) also there is a quick guide to helping a grounded bat here.
- Q. Why focus on bats?
- A. Because you have got to start somewhere! When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. – John Muir Once you start conserving and improving the habitat for bats you also help conserve other species - take hedges - a hedge is used by bats for feeding and navigation, it may also be used by birds and dormice for feeding and nesting.
- Q. I am vet with limited experience of treating and handling Bats
- A. Please follow thislink for a PDF on basic bat careand recommended anesthetics, also see the link above for care and treatment of a grounded bat.
- Q. I've heard Bats have rabies and I 've heard bats carry EBLV virus
- A. EBLV/rabies testing on dead bats is carried out by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) in Surrey on behalf of Defra. This passive surveillance scheme has been running since 1987. The five UK bats, all Daubenton's, that have so far tested positive for live EBLV2 have been identified through this programme. It is vital that bats with live virus are identified so that any human or animal contact issues can be properly addressed; it is also important for furthering our knowledge of EBLV in UK bats. Submission of dead bats to the VLA is patchy across the UK with good numbers submitted from some areas but few from others. Whilst we would like to thank all those who have submitted bats so far, we do encourage everyone to continue to send any dead bats to the VLA as a matter of routine. So far this work show that the incidence of EBLV/rabies in Bristish bats is very low, however as a precaution anyone who is bitten whilst handling a bat should seek urgent medical advice. More Info on the BCT web site.
- Q. I've found a dead bat.
- A. Contact Avon Bat Group as it counts as a bat record because where there is a dead bat there is also live bats. We might be able to come a pick it up for research especially if you were feeling brave and could pop it in the freezer (suitably wrapped in a plastic bag) then we could arrange a time to pick the bat up. Otherwise bury it. What you can't do now is to keep that bat unless you apply for a license from Natural England.