Resources
General Information
- Bats of the United States – Wikipedia
- North American Bat Ranges – USGS
- Animal Diversity Web – ADW
- Bat Conservation International – BCI
- NC State Parks – Mammals of North Carolina
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources – Bats
How to Help Bats!
- Install a bat house
- Plant native plants
- Avoid using herbicides and insecticides
- Leave dead or dying trees if they are not a hazard
- Volunteer! Contact Olivia.Munzer@ncwildlife.org
Unwanted Bats?
Click here for more information on unwanted bats in your home or contact the NC Wildlife Helpline at 866-318-2401.
Sick or Injured Bats
Never directly handle a sick or injured bat. Although bats can be sick or disoriented for other reasons than rabies, we recommend taking precautions. We recommend contacting a licensed wildlife rehabilitator that specializes in rabies vector species, such as bats. You can also call the NC Wildlife Helpline (866-318-2401) for guidance on what to do with the sick or injured bat.
Bat Activities During COVID-19
Currently, activities requiring direct contact with bats are temporarily suspended.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and university wildlife disease experts are conducting a risk assessment to determine the likelihood of viral transmission from humans to bats because the potential for SARS-Cov-2 to infect North American bats is unknown. Recommendations on best practices to follow when working with bats will be released as soon as evidence-based guidelines become available. Interim voluntary guidance from the USFWS and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) recommends postponing activities involving direct contact with bats until results from the risk assessment are available. Therefore, out of concern for the welfare of bat populations, many of which have been impacted significantly by white-nose syndrome, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is temporarily suspending activities requiring direct contact with bats. This suspension applies to NCWRC staff, scientific collection license holders, endangered species permit holders, wildlife rehabilitators, and Wildlife Damage Control Agents.
You can find more information here or contact Katherine Etchison, NCWRC Mammalogist, at 828-545-8328 or katherine.etchison@ncwildlife.org.
Bat Conservation International’s FAQ on Bats, Coronoviruses, and Zoonotic Diseases
Video on bat immune systems and zoonotic diseases: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ2jDPgvbTY
