Fort Huachuca, Arizona - With summer's arrival, more bats are present at night in Arizona due to the end of hibernation and birth of offspring during May through July.
Insects are a common diet for many species of bats, some of which can consume more than 1,000 insects within an hour, including mosquitos. Others drink nectar with the agave plant, Agave palmeri, being a major food source. Fort Huachuca protect this plant for that reason. When bats finish foraging for food at night, they sleep in caves or on tree branches during the day.
Bats can get into buildings, especially older homes and offices, fairly easily. They are about fist-sized or smaller, and able to squeeze into crevices as small as ? inch in diameter. Buildings make good habitats for bats and other small animals. Most will have entered looking for shelter and will not be aggressive unless confronted.
Those who spot a bat or other animal should not panic as most are not aggressive unless handled. Do not touch or move them. Instead, leave them alone and call for removal. If there are repeated cases of animals in a building, complete a work order to fix the structural issue allowing animals to enter.
Bats, as with any other mammal species, can be a vector for rabies. Humans are able to contract the virus if bitten by an animal carrying the virus. If contracted, the disease typically manifests itself in two to 10 days and nearly always leads to fatality. Due to this concern, it is best to let professionals remove any animal that could be a carrier, because these personnel are trained in the removal process and have had a rabies vaccination.
Rabies is a deadly disease; however prevention has grown immensely and has proven nearly 100-percent successful. Since the 1990s, the U.S. has declined in rabies-caused human deaths from more than 100 to one or two per year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A pre-exposure vaccine is available to humans who work with wildlife, or in areas with a higher probability of exposure to rabies. After exposure to the disease via a bite from a possible carrier, a post-exposure vaccine is issued to ensure contraction does not occur. If an animal which is a possible carrier of rabies bites a human, or if the animal is handled without protective gloves, it may be euthanized and tested for disease and, in some cases, a non-vaccinated handler will receive the post-exposure vaccine to prevent contraction.
Do not handle wildlife
It is considered unlikely people will contract rabies on Fort Huachuca. Due to advances in medicine, contraction of rabies in humans is only one to two per year throughout the United States. As of May, the Arizona Department of Health Services, AZDHS, reports there have been no cases of wildlife in Cochise County with rabies this year.
In both 2013 and 2014, of all non-domestic animals tested for rabies in Cochise County, the AZDHS found only four confirmed cases each year. In 2013, three bats and one skunk tested positive for rabies and in 2014, three skunks and one bat tested positive for the disease.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that out of 119 non-domestic animals tested for rabies since March 2011 only one was found positive. Animals tested included 82 skunks, one bobcat, 10 bats, four coyotes, 13 feral cats, two javelina, and seven raccoons. The sole animal found positive for rabies was a bat in 2014.
Domestic animals are also capable of contracting rabies. It is very important for owners to vaccinate pets to mitigate the spread of this disease if contact with a rabid animal occurs.
Throughout the past three years, the Preventative Medicine section on Fort Huachuca reports that there have been 14 personnel vaccinated due to exposure to rabies, but no contractions of the disease. The disease is not common on Fort Huachuca.
For removal of bats or general questions about wildlife, call the Environmental and Natural Resources Division at 520.678.8112. Reported bats will be removed from buildings and relocated. If a bat has bitten a human or has been handled by someone with bare hands, it will be euthanized and tested for rabies.
People should not put themselves in a situation in which they could harm themselves or an animal. Don't handle wildlife, and report any animals found in buildings.
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