COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) confirms that they’ve received a report of dead bats found around the Black Forest area and are looking into the issue.
CPW says they got a call from a resident who said that there were a number of dead bats on or near their property. The resident said they’ve noticed this a few times.
As instructed by CPW, the resident was able to put on gloves and safely place a dead bat in a bag to turn over to the agency. CPW says they will be testing that bat, as well as one other bat, at a facility in Fort Collins.
“Bats play an important role in the ecosystem, and we have a robust bat population regionally,” said a spokesperson with CPW.
CPW won’t know exactly what could have killed the bats until they are tested at the lab. However, as a general rule of thumb, the agency says that people should avoid handling bats and keep pets away. If you or your pet comes into contact with a bat, you should contact the El Paso County Public Health Department or your pet’s vet.
According to CPW, bats in Colorado are susceptible to certain diseases that can be harmful, or sometimes deadly, to them. One example is White-Nose Syndrome, a fungal disease that results in a white fungus on their bodies. However, this disease is likely to be deadly in the winter, rather than the summer. CPW says the disease can cause bats to come out of their caves in the middle of the day during winter months, depleting fat reserves and essentially starving to death.
Rabies, while a more extreme scenario, can be spread to bats. According to CPW, bats and skunks are the main sources of rabies in Colorado. One sign of rabies in bats is if they are exhibiting unusual behavior, like being out during the day. They might also be found alive on the ground, unable to fly.
CPW says people and pets should avoid all contact with bats, especially ones found on the ground.
If you find a bat on the ground, do not touch it and report the bat and its location to animal control or the health department.
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