All about bats

A BC man has died after contracting rabies. BC Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the 24-year old man came into contact with a bat on Vancouver Island in mid-May -- and by the time he started showing symptoms of rabies six weeks later, it was too late for doctors to save his life.

James Page is the species at risk a biodiversity specialist with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, and I spoke with him about the topic of bats. Bats are very mysterious creatures, so I wanted to know what it is exactly that  bats do… 

James told me that there are 19 species of bats in Canada, and 9 species of bats in British Columbia. However, there is a fungus that wreaking havoc on the bat population, and it’s known as the white nose syndrome. 

I asked James if there was anything that biologists could do to treat white nose syndrome in bats, but he told me that it would be hard for them to spray bats or bat caves for the fungus because it would inadvertently kill off the good fungus that’s in the cave. 

The issue of rabies and bats is top of mind for people in B.C. after the tragic story of a 24 year man that passed away from rabies after coming into contact with a bat. I asked James about the prevalence of rabies in the bat population… 

Bottom line, if you come into contact with bats - or any -form of wildlife, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. 

This news about the young man passing away from a rabies infection after coming into contact with a bat may have a lot of people scared of the species. However, James told me that bats do not intentionally seek out people. 

Guest: Claire Allen 

CKNW Contributor

A BC man has died after contracting rabies. BC Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the 24-year old man came into contact with a bat on Vancouver Island in mid-May -- and by the time he started showing symptoms of rabies six weeks later, it was too late for doctors to save his life.

James Page is the species at risk a biodiversity specialist with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, and I spoke with him about the topic of bats. Bats are very mysterious creatures, so I wanted to know what it is exactly that  bats do… 

James told me that there are 19 species of bats in Canada, and 9 species of bats in British Columbia. However, there is a fungus that wreaking havoc on the bat population, and it’s known as the white nose syndrome. 

I asked James if there was anything that biologists could do to treat white nose syndrome in bats, but he told me that it would be hard for them to spray bats or bat caves for the fungus because it would inadvertently kill off the good fungus that’s in the cave. 

The issue of rabies and bats is top of mind for people in B.C. after the tragic story of a 24 year man that passed away from rabies after coming into contact with a bat. I asked James about the prevalence of rabies in the bat population… 

Bottom line, if you come into contact with bats - or any -form of wildlife, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. 

This news about the young man passing away from a rabies infection after coming into contact with a bat may have a lot of people scared of the species. However, James told me that bats do not intentionally seek out people. 

Guest: Claire Allen 

CKNW Contributor