Respect bats during October’s Bat Week
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Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Bats are essential for healthy people, economies, and ecosystems. With a nursing female eating more than her own body weight of insects in a single night, and an average little brown bat eating more than 1,200 mosquitoes in an hour, it’s easy to see how important the benefits of having them near can be. Bats are the primary predators of night-flying insects, including many of the most damaging agricultural pests. During the week of Oct. 24-31, these amazing creatures are being celebrated through Bat Conservation International’s Bat Week, dedicated to the education on and protection of bats.
The Flathead Indian Reservation is home to 11 different species of bats, including two species of special concern in Montana: the Townsend’s bigeared bat and the fringed myotis. Bats, typically thought to take residence in caves and improperly sealed buildings, can also be found roosting in mines, clusters of leaves, inside hollow trees, as well as between rocks in cliffs. Most of our species are summer migrants, moving out of the area in the fall. Bats that hibernate on the reservation during the winter, such as the Townsend’s big-eared bat, seek refuge from the cold weather in caves and old mine shafts.
The biggest threats to bat species and populations include habitat loss, human disturbance, and disease. The CSKT Wildlife Management Program has constructed bat-friendly gates over three mines on Tribal property in order to protect human safety, as well as to maintain these hibernacula habitats for wintering species. A fungal disease called “whitenosed syndrome” has devastated the populations of eastern North American bats during hibernation. It disturbs the hibernating bats such that they quickly loose important metabolic resources needed for surviving through the winter, and instead die off. No reported cases of this fungus have been reported in western states, though education is very important while monitoring our bats into the future.
Many misconceptions surround bats; less than 1 percent of bats actually have rabies. It is important to tell children not to touch bats, either alive or dead. Rabies is transmitted through saliva or blood. Also as an adult do not try to pick a bat up with a bare hand. If you have a bat in your residence, trap it with a sturdy container and slip a piece of cardboard between the bat and wall or floor, then take it outside and place a safe distance from your home. It is very important to seek medical attention immediately if you are bitten by a bat. If the bat that caused the bite is kept, it can be sent to the state lab to be tested for rabies.
Bats are not classified in the rodent family. They belong to their own order Chiroptera, meaning “hand wing.” Talk to a local biologist today, we would love to encourage your interest in bats or discuss ways to deal with issues you might be having. Visit www.batcon.org for great information on bat conservation and fun outreach activities.
