Late Summer Bats In New England Are More Than Just A Nuisance
Remember earlier this summer when local news outlets were reporting that Maine’s bat population on the decline? Experts from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said it was because of something called "white-nose syndrome." 97% of the bat population in Maine has reportedly been affected by this fungal disease, as per the Portland Press Herald.
Well now, we are being warned by the Maine CDC to be careful of late summer bats, according to Portland Press Herald. The report says they are "most active" during this part of the year, and can carry rabies.
The Maine CDC states that rabies is a virus that "affects the brain and spinal cord and can cause death if left untreated." The website says that one of the ways the disease spreads is "when a rabid animal bites or scratches" another animal or a person. It can also pass from the saliva or neural tissue if they come into "contact with a person or animal's mouth, nose or eyes, or enters a cut in the skin." Rabies is reportedly rare in humans.