Slingshot ranges-Bats Threats to People
Can bats be a danger to people?
A. Yes
B. No
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Answer: Yes, bats can be a danger to humans.
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Rabies:
As with any wild animal, there is a risk when bats and humans live in the same spaces. One of the biggest dangers to people is rabies, which bats can get and pass to people. Rabies is a zoonotic* disease that infects only mammals, including humans. It can cause a variety of symptoms in bats, including but not limited to the following: abnormal behavior (aggressiveness, flying out during the day, etc...), difficulty breathing, seizures, noticeable difference between right and left sides in terms of muscle weakness (also known as ataxia). This is why you must ALWAYS keep from touching a bat directly. Not only is rabies a serious disease, it can be fatal to people who are infected with it.
However, bats are not the only animals that carry rabies, other mammals like dogs, cats, raccoons, opossums, etc… can carry it too. In actuality, less than 1% of bats carry rabies. Plus, you are more likely to get sick from a mosquito bite, or your little sibling than you are a bat.
Covid-19
Now, about Covid-19:
Let’s be real, while it is suspected that Covid came from bats, it is only that: a suspicion. Covid-19 is similar to a virus found in horse-shoe bats in Asia. However, it is not genetically the same. Covid-19 was suspected to have started in a wet market, which is where there are a lot of wild animals and people sharing space. Unfortunately, this type of area sets up a perfect staging ground for disease sharing and mutation. Diseases that can jump from animals to humans are called zoonotic diseases, and there are a lot of them! Not all zoonotic diseases come from bats either, in fact a lot of them don’t. You can find out more information about zoonotic diseases here: Zoonotic Diseases | One Health | CDC and Bats and COVID-19 - Bats (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).
So yes, it could have mutated from a virus that horse-shoe bats carry, HOWEVER, you can’t get Covid from those bats, or any bat species in general.
If you are really worried, here’s some good news: according to the National Park Service, there has been no trace of bats in North America having a disease genetically similar to Covid-19, meaning that in no way, shape, or form, can you get Covid-19 from any native bats living here.
Regardless, as long as you keep your distance from bats and bat spaces you shouldn’t be in any danger from disease transmission.
Directions:
To get to Bat House 9, go back to Range Road and head south towards the Ais Bath House. Go to the Ais Bath House, Bat House 9 is on the Southwest corner of the bath house on the south side of the path. It is set back into the brush slightly, so look carefully for it.