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September 2, 2010
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Saving the Bat
Published August 1, 2010
He might not be considered your traditional superhero, but to some misunderstood, nocturnal mammals, Loganville’s Jeff Orr could probably qualify for Batman status.
Orr has taken on the quest to help spread the word of a potential threat to the several species of bats, many of them found in the local area. While people tend to fear bats, most of the fear is as a result of misinformation, he said. Bats don’t fly into people’s hair — in fact their echolocation abilities give them surprising agility. The fear of rabies is also greatly exaggerated and there are very few “vampire” bats that consume blood — most feed on fruit and insects. Orr said it’s their feeding on insects that actually makes them much greater friends to humans than people realize.
“Most people don’t know a single bat will eat thousands of insects each night,” Orr said. “They also eat the most deadly insect to man, the mosquito. If brown bats became extinct, they would be missed very quickly.”
The disease Orr is so concerned about is white nose syndrome — a disease that has been destroying bats to the north of Georgia by the thousands.
Researchers are trying to determine the cause of WNS, its effects and how it spreads. The syndrome’s name comes from the white fungus found on the muzzles and other parts of affected bats. So far, however, there haven’t been any reported affects on humans or other wildlife.
Orr, a wildlife nuisance control operator with Arrow Exterminators, received his license through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. He said the state DNR has been sending out warnings of the potential damage to bats— as well as humans — if the disease hits the area and is allowed to take hold. He said the disease, which hasn’t hit Georgia yet but likely is headed this way, started in New York and has been spreading north to Canada and south as far as Tennessee.
“It’s devastating the bat population and the DNR has changed the rules and regulations for us, as wildlife nuisance control operators, requiring us to distribute a brochure concerning bats,” Orr said, “I have been closely following WNS for two years now. The effects will be devastating for humans.”
The Georgia DNR recently finalized a response plan to help combat the disease described as North America’s “most precipitous wildlife decline in the past century.”
“WNS is a wildlife epidemic blamed in the death of more than 1 million bats since its discovery in New York in 2006,” experts wrote in the plan distributed to wildlife experts. “The syndrome has since been confirmed in 11 states — the closest being Tennessee — and two Canadian provinces. The fungus blamed for the syndrome has been found on hibernating bats in two additional states.”
If people begin finding bats that show signs of WNS, they are asked to advise the DNR, the local office of which is in Social Circle. Symptoms to look for include, from April through November:
•Pup abandonment.
•Bats flying into swimming pools, sides of buildings, etc.
•Multiple dead or dying bats at one site.
•Bats roosting on the sides of buildings and falling to ground in daylight.
From November to April, symptoms are:
•White, powdery fungus seen around the muzzle, ears, wing/ limbs and/or tail.
•Thin and/or dehydrated (wrinkled and flaky appearance of furless areas).
•Sluggish behavior, delayed arousal from torpor.
•Erratic behavior (found on ground inside or outside the hibernaculum, roosting near hibernaculum entrance.
•Increased bat activity outside the hibernaculum during cold weather.
One thing people might not know is that bats are protected and cannot be killed.
“You can relocate them, but you can’t do that before Aug. 16 unless they pose a health risk to humans and that does happen in certain circumstances,” Orr said, adding if they are inside the home a special permit can be obtained to relocate them before Aug. 16. “They do sometimes carry rabies and the guano, especially when it’s dry, can get in the (air conditioning) and cause respiratory problems for humans,” Orr said. “If they are posing a risk, they can be removed at any time.”
Orr said another problem is bat bugs, blood sucking parasites almost identical to bed bugs that will attack humans in the absence of their bat hosts.
But for the most part, Orr said bats are a benefit to humans and agriculture with their great insect control properties, so it is advisable to keep them within a reasonable distance when excluded from the home. Bat houses can be purchased or made and the bats encouraged, usually with the help of wildlife nuisance control experts, to relocate to their new habitat.
However, prior to Aug. 16 there could be young, flightless bats due to breeding habits, which is why a special permit is necessary. Orr said one of the reasons why bats are protected is they have a short breeding season and only give birth to one pup at a time, limiting their population growth.
More information about preventing WNS from decimating the bat population in Georgia can be found at www.georgiawild life.com/node/2300.
Orr said if residents see a bat exhibiting symptoms of WNS do not touch it and call the DNR at 770-918-6418.
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