Back on June 5, 2012, my husband was trimming our trees and came across this momma bat with her three babies.
A Lasiurus Intermedius, or northern yellow bat, with her babies
It is illegal in Texas to attempt to relocate bats, so he put them back into one of our trees.
These are a prettier species than some of the other bats I've seen in our area.
Today, my husband found one of these pretty little bats in our driveway. Having appeared to have been caught and killed by one of our cats, questions were raised about rabies and how to handle this situation. The kids, having overheard our conversation, began their own investigations on the internet; so, I believe a lesson on bats (and rabies) is in order now.
I contacted our local Animal Control Center expecting them to pick up the bat and test it for rabies, but as it had not bitten anyone, they were less than concerned and directed us to simply throw it out in the trash. So, for the next 2 weeks, we will be keeping a sharp eye on our three cats for any sign of illness. Should the cats show signs of rabies and/or bite or scratch one of us, we will report to Animal Control and a rabies test will be done then, but we have strong doubts that these bats are infected with rabies as they have not been aggressive towards us or our animals in the past.
Next payday, we will be paying for a rabies shot for each of our beloved pets.
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