Pipistrelle bat

gramps

gramps

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Found a Pipistrelle bat in the back yard this morning, looking a bit sorry for itself but no visible signs of damage.
It happily agreed to climb into the box SWMBO found for it and eventually settled down on an old tea-towel.
Took it to the local RSPCA clinic and it will hopefully be forwarded to the Wildlife Hospital down in Somerset for rehab and release.
As I was driving down to the clinic I suddenly thought, 'I didn't take a photo!' :whistle:
RSPCA 'person' put on some gloves and started to check it over but had some difficulty ... so removed the first glove by sticking it in her mouth and pulling! :eek:
 
Amazed me after having been warned not to touch the bat myself as there was a rabies risk!
 
Completely off topic... but...
gramps said:
RSPCA 'person' put on some gloves and started to check it over but had some difficulty ... so removed the first glove by sticking it in her mouth and pulling! :eek:
Click to expand...
Reminds me of an 'incident' at school, many moons ago... was in a biology class, and the teacher was telling us about the key attributes when working with animals, he had a (dead) chicken on the table in front of him... so as he was talking he stuck his forefinger up the bum of the chicken, then quickly took his hand out and licked his finger. :puke:

Followed by the statement: "Observation, is the first requirement"... (having licked his middle finger instead of forefinger).

I've since seen a similar thing on youtube by other institutions, so I guess it's one of those lessons which 'everyone' does! :D
 
gramps said:
Amazed me after having been warned not to touch the bat myself as there was a rabies risk!
Click to expand...

the rabies risk is pretty remote - for a start bat rabies is pretty uncommon in the UK , secondly it has never been found in a pipistrelle (12 cases in daubentons, 2 in natterers and 1 serotine), and thirdly you'd need to get its saliva in a cut or in one of your mucous membranes, and fourthly bats suffer from the paralytic form of EBLV (that is they curl up and die, rather than manifesting as 'furious rabies' as with canines) so if this bat was able to climb into a box it probably wasnt suffering from it

I know the RSPCA , bat conservation etc will tell people not to handle bats due to the rabies risk but this is partly arse covering and partly because its a reason people will listen to, a far greater concern is that its very easy to injure a bat especially its wing membranes by handling it incautiously.

As a licenced bat handler I have had the rabies vacine, but its very much a precaution than a serious risk (although the case of David Mcrae a licenced handler who died of rabies in 2002 after being bitten by a daubentons is enough to make you want to take the precaution - which is obligatory for licenced handlers now anyway- however remote the risk as its a deeply unpleasant way to go)
 
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