FACTS AL OUT BATS: TALES FROM BCl’s PUBLIC INFORMATION PROGRAM

/4’ 0 MA’AM, bats don’tmake nests in sofas.”Nor do they chewholes in walls, chase

children and pets, or suck humanblood—but questions like these arecommon for BCI’s public informationstaff, Every week they respond tohundreds of calls, letters, and e-mailqueries from citizens, educators, corporations, and a variety of government agencies, with requests rangingfrom the urgent to the humorous.One worried caller contacted BCIbecause he was told that to get rid ofthe bats living in his summer cottage,he would have to burn it down.Obviously, the hapless homeownerhad been given incorrect information—a common occurrence.

Although we’re always eager toshare our expertise, providing theseservices is a daunting task. Eachmonth, BCI receives an average of1,400 letters and 1,800 phone requestsfor general and scientific informationabout bats. Of these, more than 400involve conservation needs, nuisanceproblems, and public health emergencies that require special handlingby our Conservation InformationCoordinator, Barbara French, ourPublic Information Officer, BobBenson, or one of our six other backup staff specialists.

Many of these calls are simplecases of mistaken identity. Once, arock-quarry worker wanted to findout how to get rid of “all the batsmaking a mess in our quarry.” Whenasked to describe the situation, thecaller said, “They keep messingaround in the puddles, then they flyup to the cliff and smash mud allover the place.” Barbara Frenchasked if these activities were occurring in the daytime. “All day long,”the caller responded. Frenchsmiled—bats in the daytime? “No sir,what you have are cliff swallows.”

On another occasion, a panic wasset off by “screaming bats swarmingaround the streetlights” of an urbanneighborhood. Parents were forbidding their children to go outside inthe evening. “It’s a swarm of rabidbats,” the upset caller insisted toFrench. “They’re making a loud,whistling noise and swooping closeto the streetlights.” The witnessdescribed the animals as havingwhite markings on their wings. Withthat clue, French knew immediatelythat the frightening creatures wereonly hungry nighthawks hunting forinsects.

Sometimes, however, bats reallyare the culprits—most often annoying homeowners by roosting where

\ they are not wanted. In years past,people who discovered bats in theirhouses would probably call one person: the local exterminator. Thesedays, thanks in part 10 BCI’s publicinformation efforts, more and morepeople are investigating the alternatives. The most successful of these isthe exclusion method, a simple wayof netting roost exits to prevent batsfrom re-entering their roost sites.Exclusions are a humane and effective way to rid a home of unwantedbats, and detailed instructions areprovided in BCI’s “Dealing withUnwanted Guests” brochure. Frenchestimates that the exclusion information BCI has provided this year alonehas saved many thousands of bats.“Dealing with Unwanted Guests” isjust one of our “Facts on the fly”brochures, which cover topics ranging from student reading lists to public health information. The brochureswere created to provide the maximum amount of information tocallers while minimizing timedemands on staff members.

IT IS OUR HOPE that recipients of thebrochures, and of course our mem

bers, will help pass on correct information to their communities, theirlocal animal control and public healthofticials, and the press. Because manypeople get their introduction to batsthrough the media, it is critical thatwriters and reporters have accurateand complete information. It falls toBob Benson, our Public InformationOfficer, to contain false news reportsand articles—as our progress can easily be reversed by even a few irresponsible journalists. In the early ‘90sthe popular columnist Ann Landerspublished a letter from a man whoclaimed he was attacked by a fruitbat in Austin, Texas. (The flaw in thisclaim is probably apparent to many

of our members.) Landers’ responsewas a perfect example of the ignorance and prejudice facing bats. “Batswere never very high on my hitparade,” she wrote, and in a later column described bats as “unappealingand just plain ugly” Of course, hercomments caused an avalanche ofmail from our members as ;vell as anofficial reply from Benson. Landerswas so overwhelmed that she vowedto never mention bats again andasked people to stop sending her bat-related mail [BATS, Summer 19901.

One of He most damaging storiesin recent BCI history came fromMichigan in 1993. It was reported thatgases from bat guano had caused theexplosion of an abandoned parkheadquarters building [BATS, Spring19941. The story was circulatednationally by the Associated Press,which led media personalities such asradio commentator Paul Harvey andsyndicated columnist Dave Barry to

pick it up. Suddenly park officialswere deluged. “We got calls from allover the world,” park managerWayne Suida later told a reporter. Asis often the case with negative mediaattention, BCI members sent us clippings of the story and asked us tocome to the bats’ defense. The publicinformation staff responded and,with Merlin Tuttle’s help, promptedofficials to reopen the case. Investigators determined that the blast wascaused by the accidental ignition ofmethane gas from the septic system—the bats were vindicated. It isdifficult to imagine how many batscould be exterminated as a result ofeven one such alarming story

BECAUSE OF BCI’s REPUTATION forresponding to conservation emer

gencies, our members and concernedcitizens, as well as government andprivate organizations, often warn usabout potential problems. Such was

BCI staff answerhundreds of

questions a week—some amusing,others criticallyimportant

B JOAN Iv

r

Bats roost ing in attics, like these Yunza bats (Myotis Vumanensis), often prompthomeowners to seek advice on how to safely remove them. BCI provides callerswith exclusion information and referrals to reputable pest control companies.

BCI’s Conservation Information Coordinator, Barbara French, enjoys dispelling common myths about bats and pro viding much-needed information.

10 BATS. Vol. 13, No.4, Winter 1995 BAlE, Vol. 13, No.4, Winter 1995 11