For many the middle of summer means days at the lake, barbecues and vacations – for young bats it means learning to fly.
“In July and August, pups are learning to fly, and their early efforts may land them in locations where they are more likely to come in contact with humans," said Paula Rodriguez de la Vega, provincial coordinator with the Got Bats? BC Community Bat Program, in a BCbats.ca article.
A local hiker recently took to a Victoria Reddit page chronicling his experience with what may have been a young bat pup in East Sooke, while hiking the Parkheights Trail.
"It dive-bombed between our heads, and it may have grazed my neck," they said on Reddit.
"It then clumsily flew down the trail, before turning around and trying to strafe us again. The whole thing was erratic and aggressive, and especially strange for the middle of the day. The bat seemed to be having trouble flying and didn't behave normally at all."
Concerned the bat was rabid, due to its bizarre flight behaviour, the hiker took necessary precautions to prevent rabies after he experienced direct contact with the bat.
While, the CRD could not confirm the presence of any rabid bats in East Sooke Park, or the incident reported by the hiker, they did reiterate that the late summer is when many young bats take their first flights, which could explain the erratic behaviour described by the hiker.
Andy Orr, senior manager of corporate communications, took the opportunity to remind park visitors that parks are natural areas shared with wildlife big and small – including bats.
"While rabies is rare in bats, it's a serious disease. Bats are the only carriers of rabies in British Columbia, but any mammal can be infected by the virus," said Orr.
"Never handle any wildlife, especially bats, and especially if they appear to be sick or dying. Seek immediate medical attention if bitten or scratched by a bat."
If you must move a bat, use a trowel or similar tool and always wear leather gloves to protect yourself. This applies to bats which are either dead or alive. For more information on bats, visit https://bcbats.ca/.
