International Bat Week celebrates the role bats play in our ecosystem and takes place from October 24th through Halloween, October 31st. Tompkins County Whole Health (TCWH) supports the NYS Department of Environmental Conversation (NYSDEC) in their efforts to encourage outdoor enthusiasts to refrain from visiting caves and mines during the fall and winter months. Bat health is particularly vulnerable to human visitation during their winter hibernation in these sites, especially as these populations have recently been significantly impacted by white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that affects hibernating, insect-eating bats.
Bats provide an important role in pest control and Tompkins County is fortunate to be home to multiple bat species. It is important that we protect the areas where bats live while creating barriers to entry into our homes, as bats can carry the rabies virus. By bat proofing our homes, we can protect ourselves from the potential risk of rabies exposure, while also protecting our local bat populations.
Bats can enter buildings through holes or crevices as small as half an inch. Keep doors and windows properly screened, chimneys capped and keep exterior basement and attic doors or windows closed and in good repair. Close interior openings such as those around plumbing or gas pipes, electrical wiring, or heating and air conditioning units found in utility closets, cabinets, behind appliances, and under sinks. For additional information on how to keep bats out of your home, visit: https://www.batcon.org/about-bats/bats-in-homes-buildings/.
A small number of rabid bats are confirmed in Tompkins County every year. If a bat is found in your home, it is incredibly important to avoid the serious, potentially fatal, risk of rabies by safely capturing and submitting for laboratory testing any bat that may have come in contact with humans or pets. If the bat is found in a public area, if it is found near a pet, a child, a sleeping person, or someone with a sensory impairment, or you are not sure if contact occurred, capture the bat and contact TWCH’s Environmental Health Division, 24/7, at 607-274-6688. If a bat is found in your home and you are certain that no one and no pet have had contact with the bat, it is not necessary to capture the bat for testing and it can be safely released.
How to catch a bat
- Watch this informational video for a demonstration on how to properly capture a bat: tompkinscountyny.gov/health/rabies#catchabatvideo
- Find a small container with a lid. If you found the bat clinging to a wall, door, or other object, cover it with the container, and slide a piece of cardboard or other thick paper underneath to trap it in the container. Place the container right side up on a table or counter, place the lid over the cardboard and slide the cardboard out from under the lid.
- If the bat is flying, turn on all the lights and sit quietly and watch the bat until it lands. You can use a butterfly net to catch the bat but be careful not to get bitten. Do not use tennis rackets, baseball bats, or other hard objects. Bats have very thin heads/skulls, so it is important to be careful when capturing the bat to avoid causing damage. If the bat needs to be tested, injury to the skull may cause damage to the brain that will prevent testing. Or, if EH determines that there was no exposure and testing is not needed, the bat will not be able to be released due to injuries.
- If you have found an injured bat and there has been no risk of anyone being bitten by the bat, you can contact the Wild Things Sanctuary, a local NYSDEC licensed wildlife rehabilitator who may be able to help. Licensed wildlife rehabilitators observe the animals for signs of illness and nurse back to health in order to release back into the wild. Please note: Placement at local rehabilitators is subject to space availability.
- The Wild Things Sanctuary has a website with additional tips about what to do if you find a bat in your home: http://www.bats911.org
Protect your pets
TCWH holds regular rabies vaccination clinics for pets throughout the county because owners of vaccinated pets that encounter bats in the home can have the option of releasing a bat found with a vaccinated pet if no human exposure has occurred and the owner agrees to get their pet a booster vaccination. Check back to our website for our next round of free rabies vaccination clinics in 2025. For other free or low-cost rabies vaccine programs, contact the local chapter of the Street Dog Coalition or the Cornell Healthy Pet Clinic held at Ithaca’s Southside Community Center.
Tompkins County Whole Health reminds everyone to:
- Avoid contact with any unfamiliar cats or dogs and any wild animals.
- All cats, dogs and ferrets must have initial rabies vaccinations administered no later than four months of age. Keep vaccinations current.
- Report the following incidents to Environmental Health, 24/7, at 607-274-6688:
- All animal bites or scratches.
- Any human or pet contact with saliva or other potentially infectious material (brain tissue, spinal tissue, or cerebro-spinal fluid) of wild animals or any animal suspected of having rabies.
- All bat bites, scratches, or any mere skin contact with a bat, or a bat in a room with a child, or sleeping or impaired person.
Further information can be found at: tompkinscountyny.gov/health/eh/rabies.