[Jacob-list] Bats & other creatures

[Paintedrockfarm at aol.com]

WOW -- what a wide response to the bat issue across this list!
 
We have had our own "experience" with bats around our area.  In the  past two 
years,  I killed one bat in the barn (sheep safety is first) after  it 
proceeded to dive bomb them several times.  This year, one of our cats  chose to 
bring me a "gift" one morning, as she does quite often.  Most of  the time, she 
merely carries them alive and apparently unharmed to me drops them  at my feet 
and promptly goes to the door to be let in.  I was quite  relieved to know the 
bat was no longer living!
 
A few years ago, a co-worker had a horse acting weird -- this was a  
miniature horse used in parades, costume stuff and the like.  This was a  pet she took 
in from another farm that indicated he was current on all his shots  but had 
no proof of such.  Since the symptoms he displayed (lethargic, not  eating 
well) indicated he ill with something, my co-worker gave him various  medicines 
per vet instructions over 2 days w/o improvement.  On the 3rd  day, the horse 
was aggressively biting at them during any attempt to treat, feed  or water and 
it died before the vet arrived.  He recommended to have the  horse tested for 
rabies since he had no proof (certificate of vaccination)  of being 
vaccinated.  The test was positive!  The State Office  went a step further at the 
request of the vet & owner to try to determine  what species the bite came from and 
it was discovered to be a bat.  
 
Now I do not recall off hand the type of bat in this case but it WAS  
something of a migratory nature -- it was not like a native species in our  area.  It 
came, set up shop in the rafters of her 100+ yr. old barn to  reproduce and 
left.  The owners were left with a strict 6 month quarantine  of ALL species on 
their farm, bat removal expenses and the cost, discomfort and  requirement 
for them to take rabies vaccinations.  I can't blame them for  not liking bats 
at this point.
 
Not every shepherd or farmer can go to the expense of vaccinating every  
animal they have for rabies.  In WV, only dogs and cats are required to  have the 
vaccine once every 2 years (weird, b/c manufacturers only make 1 or 3  year 
vaccine).  Livestock have no rabies requirements for vaccination  HOWEVER with 
that episode occurring just days before I killed the dive bomber  bat in my own 
barn, I elected to vaccinate my breeding flock that  year, the following year 
and then once every 3 years afterwards.  The  horrors of having a 6 month 
quarantine was almost unbearable and the amount of $  lost during that time far 
exceeded the cost of the vaccines for us.
 
Mosquitos do cause a wide variety of diseases and I'm grateful to the bats  
to helping us keep numbers down to minimums.  As long as they don't bother  me 
& my critters, I can tolerate them.  After seeing a horse  with a case of West 
Nile, I kind of had a slight change of heart towards  the bats.  For 
mosquitos, its a kill them all theory!  
 
I guess they would rank up there with opossums, raccoons and other vermin  
(rats, mice, etc), which I strongly dislike!  I lost a horse to  EPM several 
years ago and we were prolific in opossums then.  I  won't go into the long story 
but, in short, EPM is also known as "opossum  disease" since they carry the 
protozoa that causes illnesses in horses.   Now, we shoot them on sight.  
Raccoons have recently chosen to try to  decimate my chickens -- we know its 
raccoons, caught them red handed after  losing dozens of eggs and a few chickens in 
one night.  We've killed 3  thus far and had a week reprieve -- until this 
morning when we discovered 2 dead  chickens with missing heads and shell debris 
on the floor.  
 
For whoever mentioned the cat killing dogs (sorry, I didn't respond  
personally) , I would have to agree with eliminating the dogs as well.  It  would be 
heart breaking to think my own dogs could resort back to predatory and  
destroying type behaviors but I would have to agree there would be no other  choice.  
Hard decision at best -- my heart goes out to them.  Where do  you decide 
what, when, how and why dogs suddenly go on killing sprees with  another species. 
 I've said before, human safety retains a higher  standard over any other 
species. I'm in the veterinary field, work with  animals daily and I still 
believe in human sanctity of life being more  important.  Regardless of reason, one 
must take all steps needed to  protect home and family.
 
Signing off with my own two cents worth -- Cheryl
Mike  & Cheryl Terrano
_Painted  Rock Farm_ (http://members.aol.com/paintedrockfarm) 
Route 4 Box 726
Buckhannon, WV  26201-9205
(304) 457-6620 
_paintedrockfarm at aol.com_ (http://paintedrockfarm@aol.com/) 
Breeders of Registered Jacob Sheep & French Angora  Rabbits
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