thegreatpigeonking:

goopy-gan:

doofcas:

mrcleanheichou:

doofcas:

mrcleanheichou:

doofcas:

doofcas:

Me: *picks up “dead” bat in my yard so my dog doesn’t eat it*

“Dead” bat: O_O

Me: O_O

Me upon realizing I am holding a very not dead bat and not dead bat realizing it has been picked up by a large creature at the exact same second: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

He scream

You want rabies? That’s how you get rabies

1.I picked it up with a towel and gardening gloves and never once touched it with my bare hands.

2.

3.The bat was at the bottom of my porch where I have to take my dog out but I guess I should have just left it there for her to eat right?

4.It was in a position that made it clear that it was most likely hurt from hitting my house and not just sick. It’s warming up in my area and they are just coming out from the winter and it was most likely confused because I live right next to the highway and there’s a lot of noise.

5.You can only get rabies from a bat by being bitten or otherwise getting its saliva in your bloodstream. And it was two inches long and I’m a grown ass adult with a towel and gardening gloves and a thick ass sweater.

Good thing you tagged it as “stupid people” because you obviously don’t know enough about the situation

I’m sorry I tagged it that way. That was incredibly childish of me. I’ve just had it pounded into my head that you don’t mess with sick or injured wildlife because of the risk of exposure.

I’m a registered Veterinary technician and I’ve worked with a rabid cat and it was terrifying

I’m sorry I got so defensive. I’ve seen a lot of bats killed in my area because people are misinformed about the rabies situation. I used to play with them as a kid by throwing sticks in the air and watching them swoop to get them and each year they were noticably fewer until they were just gone.

That was the most adult way I’ve ever seen an argument addressed on the internet.

It’s good practice to never touch bats directly for their own safety as well as yours. If a bat is known to have had any direct contact with humans in which a bite or exposure could have occurred, rehab centers (in the United States, at least) MUST euthanize the animal and send it off for rabies testing. It’s the law and not doing so could result in massive repercussions for the rescue.

At a rehab center where I used to work, one younger and inexperienced volunteer inadvertently caused the death of a perfectly healthy bat because she decided to take it out, touch it with her bare hands, and actually KISSED it before anyone else noticed what she was doing. That bat was rabies free and had just been stunned by hitting a window.

Rabies testing requires brain matter, which unfortunately means the animal must be dead. Follow this person’s example. Alive or dead, never touch a bat bare-handed.

Also, if you aren’t sure whether or not a bat is alive, nudge it with a stick. Don’t jab it in case it is alive, but nudge the side of it and see if it moves.