Posted on 08/29/2017 7:36:25 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
I had always heard that rabies was endemic in bat populations, that it is akin to measles in humans i.e. not a big deal. If you get bit by a bat you go get the shots.
North Shore is on the south shore of St Andrews Bay in Lynn Haven, FLorida. North Shore is to expensive neighborhoods as Oak Street is to streets in developments.
It’s also where Jay Gatsby used to hang out on Long Island.
If you read the article you will learn that sometimes people do not know that they have received a scratch, or that they encounter bat guano or urine on already broken skin. I don’t know how you don’t know, but they mentioned an example of a baby.
The young girl, who is the only known case of survival from bat spread rabies, found the bat flopping around on the floor of the church where she was attending choir practice. She picked it up by the wing and took it outside. Somehow the rabies infected her. She survived but has suffered terrible consequences. She has had to learn everything over again, including how to feed herself. She finally was able to go back to college and graduate, but she is still disabled.
This North Shore denotes the suburbs north of Milwaukee on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Apparently if you wake up and find a bat in your room, you pretty much have to assume you’ve been bitten and should get the shots even if you can’t find a bite. They have surgical-instrument sharp teeth and you might not even know you’ve been bitten. Rabies is horrific and once you show symptoms there is no cure. Only one or two people have ever survived symptomatic Rabies...ever.
I have been bitten by a bat. I do not see how any person could sleep through that! It hurts like hell.
Bats have very sharp, fine teeth and can bite you without you knowing they did so!
All North American bats are either insectivores or frugivores. Neither is predisposed to biting humans. Unless it’s inside your dwelling, the best practice is to get out of its way and let it go about its business. If you see one acting aggressively or bizarrely, which might give you to think it is rabid, I recommend a flame thrower. http://bit.ly/2vpTUkZ (j.k.)
Besides being fascinating critters (the only mammals capable of sustained flight), they also are important to agriculture. They’re the primary mechanism of cross-pollination for both banana trees and the agave plant. Without bats, there’s be no tequila. So the next time you’ve got one in your house, do the neighborly thing and offer it a margarita to leave.
As someone who has been bitten by a bat it hurts like hell. I was bitten in the hand. It was like being squeezed with pliers trying to rip the skin off.
Must’ve looked like Batman begins.
I’m not defending bats or belittling a bat bite. I’m saying that bats are much more apt to be afflicted than the animals we traditionally worry about.It doesn’t kill the bats which is why it is endemic.If they transfer it to people- rabies is rabies. The surprise and consternation that the local bats might be infected is misplaced. Warnings against bats should be as endemic as the rabies they carry.
Yes it did......Pretty cool tho
Must’ve looked like Batman begins.
Good point. In fact, a lot of people encourage bats because they eat insects. Barn Swallows for the day and bats for the night! Natural pest control. They sell bat houses at your local bird feed store, generally.
You too? As a person who has wasted many shells shooting at bats (12 ga) I commend you on your shooting skill. I'm not real sure I ever hit one.
Lol. It was fun and I never got one. The two or three over the years were from the older brothers.
The neighbors probably thought we were nuts out shooting in the dead of night, but you were right, fun was had by most others.
Yes, it was fun.
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