LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
It’s breeding season for bats in Illinois, also known as pupping season. During pupping season, it’s not uncommon to encounter more bats, both in and around homes.
Here are some tips courtesy of the Edgar County Public Health Department to help navigate the season and any bat encounters you might have.
First, it’s important to understand the health risks associated with bats. The most well-known is rabies, which is a serious but relatively rare condition. Only three to five percent of bats tested in Illinois are rabid.
Still, all physical contact with bats should be avoided, as rabies is a serious illness.
The other main concern, histoplasmosis, is carried by bat droppings–also known as guano. The condition is caused by a fungus, Histoplasma Capsulatum, which may cause respiratory illness, especially in immunocompromised individuals.
If a bat makes its way inside a home, residents should avoid contact and never touch the bat with their bare hands. If possible, doors should be closed to confine the bat to one room and towels or blankets should be placed under the door to prevent it from escaping. Open windows or exterior doors in the room to provide an escape route for the animal.
If you have to capture the bat, health department officials said to use heavy leather gloves and cover it with a box or a coffee can while it is perched or grounded and slide the cardboard underneath the container and secure it with ventilation holes.
If you can capture the bat without harm, contact the health department or animal control to arrange rabies testing. Ensure that you contact a medical provider to assess the need for post-exposure prophylaxis.
If bitten or scratched by a bat, wash the area with soap and water immediately and seek medical care. Residents should also contact public health officials if they wake up with a bat in the room or find a bat near someone unable to notice contact with it, even if there are no visible wounds.
It is important to note that all native bat species in Illinois are protected under the Wildlife Code (520 ILCS 5/1.1) and bats may not be shot, trapped, transported or held in confinement except when a bat is found in an area where they may have contact with humans or pets.
Killing bats is unlawful without a permit, and mothballs, fumigation, poisons and traps are not effective nor legal for use on bats.
The best practice is prevention. Avoid contact with bats, and teach children never to touch unfamiliar wild animals. For pets, keep their vaccines current and don’t leave them unattended outside. Use personal protective equipment like a respirator, gloves and eye protection when cleaning bat droppings and avoid stirring it, which can disturb fungal spores.
Report any sick or abnormal bats you encounter to local animal control or health authorities. Abnormal bat behavior includes activity in daylight, being unable to fly or being found on the ground.
While the associated health concerns are serious, bats play an important ecological role in pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal and their population is declining. This is why it is important to handle bat encounters safely and responsibly–for their sake and ours.
For more information on bats and rabies, contact the Edgar County Public Health Department at 217-465-2212.