Bats vital to a healthy environment

STURGES / FLORIDA WEEKLY Small brown bat. "We fear what we don't understand."

For some, this fear takes in dark, winged denizens of the night alleged to fly into our hair, land on our necks and suck our blood.

The myths and folklore that have surrounded bats throughout time have seemingly endured, creating fear and even hatred for one of nature's most environmentally helpful creatures.

The mammal — the only kind that can fly — has been maligned as an animal that brings disease and sickness — namely rabies.

And though some do carry the disease, precautions such as not handling bats or pestering them will help prevent getting bit or sick.

Recently, the Lee County Health Department put out a call for help after it was revealed that several kids were playing with a rabid Brazilian free tail bat near the Fort Myers Beach Pier. The incident led to a media blitz in efforts to locate the children, several boys

thought to be between the ages of 10 and 12 who may have contracted rabies. If they have the disease and are not given

the necessary vaccine, they will die. Rabies is known to be 100 percent fatal.

But the fact that this whole incident could have been avoided is disturbing to those who work with bats.

"It's unfortunate the children were not educated," said Amanda Lollar, president and founder of Texas-based Bat World.

Her organization takes in thousands of orphaned and injured bats each year. Arcadia has a rescue facility run by biologist Denise Tomlinson.

Ms. Lollar and Ms. Tomlinson strive to save bats that are growing more and more endangered every year as well as educate the public about their place and value in the world.

The real bat story

Bats are not rodents with wings. Scientists have classified bats as belonging to the chiroptera family. They are more closely related to the primate and lemur family, Ms. Lollar said.

Bats can be found all around the globe. They make up one-quarter of all mammals on Earth.

In Southwest Florida there are several species of bats — mostly insectivores — since their diet is made up of bugs. The two most common bats in the area are the Brazilian free tail, like what the children on Fort Myers Beach found, and evening bats. Both are tiny, less than 3 inches in size. But in Lee County there are about seven including, the endangered Florida bonneted bat. There are 13 species of bats in Florida.

A single bat can eat 7,000 mosquitoes a night. And they can get to their meal fast. Even though some insectivore bats weigh about as much as a stick of gum, they can fly about 25 to 80 miles an hour.

"Bats are our natural Truly Nolens," Ms. Tomlinson said.

By keeping insect numbers down, bats help keep insect-borne diseases in check, and protect crops from bugrelated damage and the higher food costs associated with that damage, Ms. Lollar said.

Aside from their buggy diet, bats play a vital role in keeping many of our fruit trees thriving and productive in the Amazon rainforests by spreading the seeds.

Getting to know bats

They're warm, they're fuzzy and yes they even like to snuggle. Rehabilitators and bat rescuers even say some look like a Chihuahua with wings.

Though bat rehabilitators don't want anyone getting the wrong idea — bats are not pets. They have complex social structures and have a full range of feelings, including love, jealousy, sadness and anger.

"You can read their expressions," Ms. Lollar said.

She chuckled about the quirky habits of some bats and described the territorial disputes of others that live in the Bat World Sanctuary.

"They're as different as dogs and cats," Ms. Lollar said.

Ms.Tomlinson rattled off some of the more personable bat residents she works with. Montu, a hand-raised Egyptian fruit bat, relates to Ms. Tomlinson like a mom and gets excited to see her when she come by his enclosure.

And then there's Guinevere, a Malayan flying fox. The Malayan flying fox — with a wingspan of 5 feet — is one of the largest bats in the world, Ms. Tomlinson said. Guinevere has been bit by stardom. She appeared with Ms. Tomlinson on the David Letterman show a few years ago. Mr. Letterman's eyes grew wide when Guinevere started to flap her wings.

Peace, love and bats

Though bat rescuers say they don't expect anyone to embrace or even like bats, they do want people to try and respect their place in the world and not do them harm.

"Bats are a unique part of wildlife," Ms. Lollar said. "Our planet can start to unravel if we don't look after the bats."

At Bat World, volunteers work to save orphans and injured bats — many hurt by loss of habitat. Some with damaged wings have tiny hammocks to stay comfortable, while babies orphaned and found starving are bottlefed. Those that can be rehabilitated are; the others remain in captivity and are kept safe and happy in a batty respite to live out their time.

And for those interested in helping bats, Bat World has Bat Boot camp — a specialized course for learning about how to do bat rescue and sanctuary work. To learn more about the camp or how to help bats, check out the Web site www.batworld.org.

Bats are not allowed as pets and must live in state and federally licensed facilities such as Bat World.

Dr. Milt McKelvy, owner of Viscaya Prado Veterinary clinic in Cape Coral, said that it would not be fair to keep bats since they are wildlife and not meant to be in someone's home.

Dr. McKelvy urges people to make sure their pets are vaccinated against rabies in the event they come into contact with a rabid bat. The protocol for an unvaccinated cat or dog that comes into contact with a rabid animal is euthanasia.

Bats will only bite when they are in fear for their safety. If they are sick and lying on the ground, they should not be handled with bare hands.

But even if bats make you batty thinking of them, you can still stay safe and protect the wildlife by learning to live in harmony. For starters, if you find a bat, it can be trapped humanely and brought to a wildlife facility such as the CROW wildlife clinic on Sanibel or the Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda. For more information about bats, call Ms. Denise Tomlinson of Bat World Everglades at (941) 628-7858.

Learn more about bats:

>> For information about rabies or if you know anything about the boys seen playing with the sick bat several weeks ago on Fort Myers Beach, call the Lee County Health Department at 332-9501. The Health Department phone line can be accessed 24 hours a day.

>> Batty for bats then check out Minnesota's Zoo's annual bat festival. The eighth annual Great Lakes Bat Festival, which includes one of the largest bats in the world, is scheduled for Aug. 28 and 29 at the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin. For more information, go to www.batconservation. org or call (248) 645-3232. For directions to the zoo check out www.milwaukeezoo.org or call (414) 256-5412.

>> To understand more about the value of bats and the role they play in the eco system as well as learning about bat houses go to www.batconservation. org

>> To learn more about rehabilitating injured or orphaned bats check out www.batworld.org/ batworld_centers/evergladesrescue. If you have questions about bats or what to do if you see an injured or downed bat call Denise Tomlinson of Bat World Everglades at (941) 628-7858.