It’s Bat Week. That’s right. It’s “an international, annual celebration designed to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation,” according to BatWeek.org. The website calls bats “amazing creatures” that benefit our natural world and economy by eating insects, pollinating flowers and spreading seeds.
I don’t doubt that. I just prefer some distance between myself and those flying mice. Quite frankly, I don’t like bats. And they probably don’t like me, either. That’s fine with me.
We learned in our youth that bats are creatures to be feared, especially this time of year due to their spooky association with Halloween. They’re active at night, flutter through the moonlight and huddle in dark places like caves and abandoned buildings. Worst of all, they sometimes make their homes in residential attics. And then there’s that whole biting, sucking your blood and turning you into a vampire thing. Or something like that.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says bats aren’t something to fear or be grossed out by. In fact, some bat enthusiasts call them “sky puppies” because they’re “pretty darn cute.”
Huh?
Don’t get me wrong. I was a Batman fan. I respect Adam West, Michael Keaton and Christian Bale. But learning that nine bat species call Iowa home didn’t give me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Four head for warmer climates when insects become scarce, but I can do simple math. That leaves five species here. In my attic.
Meanwhile, experts say the only bats we’re likely to see on Halloween will be plastic. They also note that only a small percentage of bats carry rabies. Fair enough. But did you know bats can live 15 to 30 years, depending on the species? That’s a long time to be hanging around my house.
If there’s a saving grace to this whole bat thing, it’s that bats are blind. Or so I thought. Further investigation revealed that bats aren’t blind. They use echolocation to navigate and find food. Echolocation. That sounds like something Elon Musk invented. Or maybe Al Gore.
I suppose Bat Week has educated me a bit. I now know that bats probably live near you, too, and that’s supposedly a good thing. They eat insects and help maintain healthy ecosystems. I can appreciate their contributions to society. Just keep those contributions outside my house.
As for the vampire thing, Halloween is still a few days away. I’m not ruling anything out.
Have a terriffic Tuesday and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707