The death of B.C man who contracted rabies after coming in contact with a bat on Vancouver Island back in May, has some people concerned about bats in the Okanagan.
The death of B.C man who contracted rabies after coming in contact with a bat on Vancouver Island back in May, has some people concerned about bats in the Okanagan.
Peachland's Bat Education and Ecological Protection Society, or BEETS, promotes the protection and preservation of bat species.
According to Board Director Susan Neill, the odds of coming in contact with a sick bat in the Okanagan are very low.
“If somebody wants to be safe, you don't swat at bats, you just let them fly past you. They know where you are, they have excellent eyesight. They also have echolocation and the only reason they're coming near to you is because you’re a warm body and you attract insects.”
Neill explained that sick bats isolate themselves from the colony, preventing them from infecting the entire group.
“When they become sick they isolate themselves. They die before they become aggressive because they’re small. They’re weak and they can’t fly very far. If this young man had just let the bat fly past him, he would never have been scratched. He only became scratched because he swatted. The same way if we swatted at a bee it would sting us,” said Neill.
In the Okanagan Valley, known for its lakes and orchards, a large bat population is critical.
According to Neill, bats control insect populations, pollinate and fertilize.
“We need to protect their species because they are in turn protecting us by eating insects and by pollinating. They all do their own thing and they fertilize. So bats in a forested area or flying over agricultural lands will negate the need for fertilizers, as well as for pesticides.”
There are 16 species of bats in B.C., half of which are listed as vulnerable or threatened.
