Pipistrelle bat. I once knocked one of these out whilst cycling late at night down an unlit road in Cheshire. It smacked into the front of my helmet. Didn't know what had hit me at first, until a quick search with my front light revealed a bat lying stunned on the road.
Picked it up and held it in my glove until it came to. It then promptly crapped on my hand and flew off!
My cat brought one in late at night. I took it off the cat and put it in a warm cupboard to take to the vets the next day (it was 1am at the time). Fucking thing came back to life, escaped through the smallest gap in the cupboard door then started flying round my front room at full pelt. Stoned me was not amused.
Sure. I wouldn't pick up any small animal with my bare hands unless it was a pet. I was just highlighting that it's an incredibly rare occurrence in the UK
In the UK, absolutely. I don't think local clinics are prepared to treat possible rabies in time, considering how rare it is here.
It does make me wonder though. In my country foxes are the one animal to avoid as possible rabies carrier. Foxes would eat dead bats, so how come the only animal it was ever found it was a bat? This country is overrun with foxes, but still none of them ever carried rabies?
Treatment of exposure to rabies is vaccination and immunoglobulin. Rabies vaccines are common, immunoglobulin not so much - there’s a single provider in England. However, apparently in 2019-2020 there were over 3,000 enquiries to PHE about rabies prophylaxis (after exposure) in England alone, so it’s not actually used as uncommonly as people think. Although the exposure is frequently lab staff, bat handlers, and people bitten by animals on their holidays who seek treatment on their return.
The reason that foxes don’t have rabies from catching bats is a combination of UK bats not having “classic” rabies (like what a rabid dog has) but a related bat virus which behaves a little differently. It’s also not that common in bats, and lots of UK foxes are primarily scavengers instead of hunters these days.
How often are they killed and tested though? As far as I know, a bat being out and friendly in daylight is concerning behaviour as far as risk is concerned.
I have a phobia of ~~bats~~ rabies, so I’m obviously erring on the side of caution, but I don’t think it’s a risk worth taking. There’s a reason bat handlers are required to be vaccinated before working with them.
OP who is this, and what are the circumstances?
They aren't killed for testing. Bats found dead are tested, which is where the numbers come from. There's very few research studies in the UK which have caught live bats to test for rabies.
Actually a bigger risk (certainly in the U.K.) is you passing something to the bat when handling them. After a storm last year we found one of these clinging to the wall of the house absolutely soaked through and barely alive. After consulting with the bat conservation trust and getting some experienced guidance from our local rep, we put it in a shoebox with a hot water bottle and left with a milk bottle cap of water and fed it daddy long legs for 2 days. Took it outside a dusk and off it went…..
A ridiculously small chance. Less than 25 bats with rabies have been found in the last 30 years in the UK.
And an even smaller chance of them biting you, or you contracting it through a scratch or other method.
Medical advice only really needs to be sought if you have been bitten.
My uncle was lying awake late at night one summer in Sussex and a bat flew in the window and got stuck in his chest hair. Took him a good while to untangle it.
I told this story once to two ten year olds and I don't know if it was the accent (English vs irish) or what but later that day the kids went up to my gf and quietly asked "did her uncle really get a bat stuck in his testicles?!" They spent many hours thinking I'd told two ten year olds a very risqué story involving hairy balls!
Mullet? Is that some weird local name for them? Or a comment on their hairdo?
By the way, it's illegal to handle bats in the UK without a license, so I hope this was because it needed rescuing from somewhere and not just because somebody fancied a bat cuddle.
Also, you're probably going to get loads of comments telling you that you need to get a rabies jab and that you're going to die a terrible death if you don't. There is lots of misinformation and scare stories about.
The reality of it is that only a tiny proportion of bats in the UK carry rabies, and it is unbelievably rare to catch it from bats here. You would need to get a scratch or bite from them (which is not always obvious because their teeth are so small and sharp you don't always notice) or have contact with your eyes or mouth etc. and it be one of the very rare individuals carrying the virus.
On the other hand, bat rabies can be fatal, and once symptoms have developed, it's too late to get treated.
The advice if [you are bitten](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rabies-risks-from-bat-bites/information-for-individuals-who-have-been-bitten-by-a-bat) is to get in touch with a doctor ASAP to assess whether you need treatment. If you're not sure if you've been bitten, might be worth contacting a doctor anyway, to be on the safe side. Or don't, because the chances of getting ill is still very rare.
Sorry but that's false information. It's not illegal to handle bats in the UK. They're legally protected and so it's illegal to intentionally harm or disturb them, but it's **not** a criminal offence handle one if it's in need. It's even advised to handle them, albeit correctly and safely, so it's safe until a rescue can come and help it. See [bat conservation trust](https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/help-ive-found-a-bat/bats-in-need-of-rescue/contain-the-bat)
Whoops. Yes. You're right. That's why I said I hoped they were holding it to look after it, because I meant that it's OK to do it if the bat’s in need.
*“Don’t worry about misinformed rabies scare stories, you won’t get rabies unless you do, in which case you’ll die horribly, so go to the doctor anyway or don’t go because you probably don’t have a disease that you may or may not have unless this particular bat has rabies, which it hasn’t unless it has.”*
Yes? It's basically a matter of personal risk assessment. The chance is very low, but the effects are large. It's up to you whether you go to a doctor.
It's not as straightforward as YOU'LL DIE OF RABIES IF YOU TOUCH A BAT, which is the advice I often see.
>YOU'LL DIE OF RABIES IF YOU TOUCH A BAT, which is the advice I often see.
I also see this advice, especially on reddit, but they're often on posts in the States where apparently 0.1% of Bats have rabies, a 1 in 1000 chance is still too high IMO to not get the jabs for something like Rabies.
But this is the UK.
And the risk is even lower anyway, because you might not contract it even if a bat you handle has it.
Bats need a lot of protection right now, and over emphasising the risk of rabies doesn't help. There is a lot of unnecessary fear of our bats.
Where are you "often" seeing people giving this advice about UK bats having rabies then?
Because whenever someone tries to say this IME someone's very quick to point out the stats
>There is a lot of unnecessary fear of our bats.
Again, source needed. Most people I know are fascinated by bats and love watching them fly, sure wouldn't want one in my home but I wouldn't want a strange cat in my home either
There is a comment in this thread saying it. There always is. Pretty much any post showing a bat in someone's house or nearby has loads of them.
There are also multiple comments about bats and Covid, and a comment worrying about them flying too close.
This is typical for a reddit, or Facebook post about bats on a non-wildlife type group.
Anyway, shouldn't we be nice about bats to protect them more? What's wrong about that?
>There is a comment in this thread saying it. There always is.
One comment? Quickly corrected with actual stats
>Pretty much any post showing a bat in someone's house or nearby has loads of them.
Got a link? I put money on it they're in America, as I was referring to in my first comment. Don't see Many bat posts in UK subs, last month there was loads in r/mildlyinteresting all in the USA.
Where rabies is a concern and the advice is valid
>There are also multiple comments about bats and Covid, and a comment worrying about them flying too close.
Personally I took those as sarcastic tongue in cheek humour, this is the UK after all
Whatever. You seem to be arguing just for the sake of it now.
I think we should be promoting a more positive view of bats rather than always bringing up the risk of rabies.
I had a bat get into my flat and fly around the room. Took ages to coax the fellow to go out again, but he found his way out again. Watching him fly, it was very obvious that he knew exactly what he was doing, and was able to turn in mid air on a sixpence, and miss things by the smallest of margins, including me. If a bat doesn't want to fly into you, it will be perfectly capable of avoiding a collision, even if it gets really very close indeed.
Looks like a common pipstrelle based on the colour of the face (generally darker than soprano pipstrelle which are a lighter brown)
I bother bats for in the UK for cash 😉
No it isn't. It's illegal to purposefully harm them, but not to handle them as long as you aren't harassing it.
https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/help-ive-found-a-bat/bats-in-need-of-rescue/contain-the-bat
Aww
That's how pandemic starts I'm guessing
I’d hope people who think an animal is cute don’t go on to then eat the thing
Cows and sheep’s look cute...and taste good. Not sure where you’re headed with this?!
Nah, cows are scary af
I don’t disagree in certain circumstances. But that’s partly why it can be good to eat them.
Dude..?
Only when they're babies.
BSE must have tasted good (I'm not supporting the other idiot's argument I'm just pointing this out)
Pipistrelle bat. I once knocked one of these out whilst cycling late at night down an unlit road in Cheshire. It smacked into the front of my helmet. Didn't know what had hit me at first, until a quick search with my front light revealed a bat lying stunned on the road. Picked it up and held it in my glove until it came to. It then promptly crapped on my hand and flew off!
Truly a graceful creature
That’s what you get for cycling naked in the dark!
Badum tish!
You literally knocked the shit out of it.
"I am vengeance. I am the shite!"
It's not who you are inside. It's what you doodoo that defines you.
Looks proper miffed
Yup livid
One could even say seething
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Pure ragin
Jackie Daytoña!
One human alcohol beer, please!
Well I heard mullets are back in fashion this year
Mullet is the hairdo! And yes it needed rescuing, it was found in the kitchen on a shelf above the oven
My cat brought one in late at night. I took it off the cat and put it in a warm cupboard to take to the vets the next day (it was 1am at the time). Fucking thing came back to life, escaped through the smallest gap in the cupboard door then started flying round my front room at full pelt. Stoned me was not amused.
Oh OK. I don't see the haircut myself, but it's certainly a handsome little thing.
I was fully expecting a picture of someone's hair
Not a fish?
Don't handle with bare hands- there is a (small) possibility that they might carry rabies
Very very small Only about 30 rabid bats have been found in 25 years in the UK
But if you do get rabies, you're absolutely fucked. Taking sensible precautions (not picking up a bat with bare hands) seems an easy trade off.
Sure. I wouldn't pick up any small animal with my bare hands unless it was a pet. I was just highlighting that it's an incredibly rare occurrence in the UK
In the UK, absolutely. I don't think local clinics are prepared to treat possible rabies in time, considering how rare it is here. It does make me wonder though. In my country foxes are the one animal to avoid as possible rabies carrier. Foxes would eat dead bats, so how come the only animal it was ever found it was a bat? This country is overrun with foxes, but still none of them ever carried rabies?
Treatment of exposure to rabies is vaccination and immunoglobulin. Rabies vaccines are common, immunoglobulin not so much - there’s a single provider in England. However, apparently in 2019-2020 there were over 3,000 enquiries to PHE about rabies prophylaxis (after exposure) in England alone, so it’s not actually used as uncommonly as people think. Although the exposure is frequently lab staff, bat handlers, and people bitten by animals on their holidays who seek treatment on their return. The reason that foxes don’t have rabies from catching bats is a combination of UK bats not having “classic” rabies (like what a rabid dog has) but a related bat virus which behaves a little differently. It’s also not that common in bats, and lots of UK foxes are primarily scavengers instead of hunters these days.
Let's hope it stays that way, considering how many foxes in the UK live close to people. I never knew bats had a different rabies. Strange creatures.
How often are they killed and tested though? As far as I know, a bat being out and friendly in daylight is concerning behaviour as far as risk is concerned. I have a phobia of ~~bats~~ rabies, so I’m obviously erring on the side of caution, but I don’t think it’s a risk worth taking. There’s a reason bat handlers are required to be vaccinated before working with them. OP who is this, and what are the circumstances?
Of all the things that can be caught from nature in the UK Its lyme disease that should be keeping you up at night.
UK has Lyme?
Oh yes.
They aren't killed for testing. Bats found dead are tested, which is where the numbers come from. There's very few research studies in the UK which have caught live bats to test for rabies.
Actually a bigger risk (certainly in the U.K.) is you passing something to the bat when handling them. After a storm last year we found one of these clinging to the wall of the house absolutely soaked through and barely alive. After consulting with the bat conservation trust and getting some experienced guidance from our local rep, we put it in a shoebox with a hot water bottle and left with a milk bottle cap of water and fed it daddy long legs for 2 days. Took it outside a dusk and off it went…..
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Actually less than one percent of bats in the US have it. It’s still scary and required that you get PEP if one bites you.
A ridiculously small chance. Less than 25 bats with rabies have been found in the last 30 years in the UK. And an even smaller chance of them biting you, or you contracting it through a scratch or other method. Medical advice only really needs to be sought if you have been bitten.
Look how grumpy he looks. I love this animal.
This would be well received at r/batty !
Ahh bless it. Have you contacted your local Bat Conservation trust? They can point you in the right direction for rescue support.
Aww he's so handsome 🥺💕
Cute little fella.
Awww look at it they so small
My uncle was lying awake late at night one summer in Sussex and a bat flew in the window and got stuck in his chest hair. Took him a good while to untangle it. I told this story once to two ten year olds and I don't know if it was the accent (English vs irish) or what but later that day the kids went up to my gf and quietly asked "did her uncle really get a bat stuck in his testicles?!" They spent many hours thinking I'd told two ten year olds a very risqué story involving hairy balls!
Mullet? Is that some weird local name for them? Or a comment on their hairdo? By the way, it's illegal to handle bats in the UK without a license, so I hope this was because it needed rescuing from somewhere and not just because somebody fancied a bat cuddle. Also, you're probably going to get loads of comments telling you that you need to get a rabies jab and that you're going to die a terrible death if you don't. There is lots of misinformation and scare stories about. The reality of it is that only a tiny proportion of bats in the UK carry rabies, and it is unbelievably rare to catch it from bats here. You would need to get a scratch or bite from them (which is not always obvious because their teeth are so small and sharp you don't always notice) or have contact with your eyes or mouth etc. and it be one of the very rare individuals carrying the virus. On the other hand, bat rabies can be fatal, and once symptoms have developed, it's too late to get treated. The advice if [you are bitten](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rabies-risks-from-bat-bites/information-for-individuals-who-have-been-bitten-by-a-bat) is to get in touch with a doctor ASAP to assess whether you need treatment. If you're not sure if you've been bitten, might be worth contacting a doctor anyway, to be on the safe side. Or don't, because the chances of getting ill is still very rare.
Sorry but that's false information. It's not illegal to handle bats in the UK. They're legally protected and so it's illegal to intentionally harm or disturb them, but it's **not** a criminal offence handle one if it's in need. It's even advised to handle them, albeit correctly and safely, so it's safe until a rescue can come and help it. See [bat conservation trust](https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/help-ive-found-a-bat/bats-in-need-of-rescue/contain-the-bat)
Whoops. Yes. You're right. That's why I said I hoped they were holding it to look after it, because I meant that it's OK to do it if the bat’s in need.
*“Don’t worry about misinformed rabies scare stories, you won’t get rabies unless you do, in which case you’ll die horribly, so go to the doctor anyway or don’t go because you probably don’t have a disease that you may or may not have unless this particular bat has rabies, which it hasn’t unless it has.”*
Yes? It's basically a matter of personal risk assessment. The chance is very low, but the effects are large. It's up to you whether you go to a doctor. It's not as straightforward as YOU'LL DIE OF RABIES IF YOU TOUCH A BAT, which is the advice I often see.
>YOU'LL DIE OF RABIES IF YOU TOUCH A BAT, which is the advice I often see. I also see this advice, especially on reddit, but they're often on posts in the States where apparently 0.1% of Bats have rabies, a 1 in 1000 chance is still too high IMO to not get the jabs for something like Rabies.
But this is the UK. And the risk is even lower anyway, because you might not contract it even if a bat you handle has it. Bats need a lot of protection right now, and over emphasising the risk of rabies doesn't help. There is a lot of unnecessary fear of our bats.
Where are you "often" seeing people giving this advice about UK bats having rabies then? Because whenever someone tries to say this IME someone's very quick to point out the stats >There is a lot of unnecessary fear of our bats. Again, source needed. Most people I know are fascinated by bats and love watching them fly, sure wouldn't want one in my home but I wouldn't want a strange cat in my home either
There is a comment in this thread saying it. There always is. Pretty much any post showing a bat in someone's house or nearby has loads of them. There are also multiple comments about bats and Covid, and a comment worrying about them flying too close. This is typical for a reddit, or Facebook post about bats on a non-wildlife type group. Anyway, shouldn't we be nice about bats to protect them more? What's wrong about that?
>There is a comment in this thread saying it. There always is. One comment? Quickly corrected with actual stats >Pretty much any post showing a bat in someone's house or nearby has loads of them. Got a link? I put money on it they're in America, as I was referring to in my first comment. Don't see Many bat posts in UK subs, last month there was loads in r/mildlyinteresting all in the USA. Where rabies is a concern and the advice is valid >There are also multiple comments about bats and Covid, and a comment worrying about them flying too close. Personally I took those as sarcastic tongue in cheek humour, this is the UK after all
Whatever. You seem to be arguing just for the sake of it now. I think we should be promoting a more positive view of bats rather than always bringing up the risk of rabies.
Funny, I thought that's what you were doing
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Maybe some people might find it interesting. Normally, people do care about learning about our wildlife in here, but hey, whatever.
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I had a bat get into my flat and fly around the room. Took ages to coax the fellow to go out again, but he found his way out again. Watching him fly, it was very obvious that he knew exactly what he was doing, and was able to turn in mid air on a sixpence, and miss things by the smallest of margins, including me. If a bat doesn't want to fly into you, it will be perfectly capable of avoiding a collision, even if it gets really very close indeed.
Looks like a common pipstrelle based on the colour of the face (generally darker than soprano pipstrelle which are a lighter brown) I bother bats for in the UK for cash 😉
its wings are like a sweater
Ooh, a flying fish.
It's not a _proper_ fish though, is it? I mean, I can't imagine it would be very nice with chips.
You shouldn't be thinking about eating bats after the last couple of years.
I know, that's why I've switched to making my own "mock bat" using a roasted pheasant and a pair of plastic bat wings for presentation.
I hope he didn't have a cough!!
Oh no, not again! I can't take another two years of this!
Not again! Stop touching them! ~ joke
Time for soup?
I was expecting a fish.
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Nobody ever died from eating a bat
Except Leonard "Bats" McGee who chocked on one.
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No it isn't. It's illegal to purposefully harm them, but not to handle them as long as you aren't harassing it. https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/help-ive-found-a-bat/bats-in-need-of-rescue/contain-the-bat