BAT: All's well that…

It seems the bat picture hit some sensitivities in some. Bats are indeed an important part of our ecosystem. However, “Bats have been shown to carry a number of harmful infections, including rabies and viruses related to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Research suggests bats may be the original hosts of nasty viruses such as Ebola and Nipah, which causes deadly brain fevers in people.” (Live Science, 2018)

Upon finding a dead bat on a fly trap, the last thing that entered our minds was touching it! So, we left it there to dispose of it the next day. But somehow the bat disappeared. Spooky, isn’t it?

Maybe when it was stuck on the trap, it was playing dead or taking a nap, as bats do during the day. Or, using nature’s ecosystem, a hawk came by and experienced a tasteful bit of nourishment. Or, if you celebrate Halloween, one might say it turned itself into a human that night and just walked away!

In any case, a happy ending for the bat! If it freed itself from the trap, it’s survival of the fittest and the bat flew away with a lesson learned. If it was eaten by a hawk, our ecosystem is back in balance. If you believe in Halloween, it’s just a scary bat story.

Limited in word count, my husband’s comments are: “People need to lighten up a little and so does Batman.”

JOANN and STEVE LOKKEN

Coeur d’Alene