Rabid bat found in east-Regina garage, another in city's west end

A bat found inside a garage in east Regina earlier this spring has tested positive for rabies after being held at a wildlife rescue centre for two weeks before it died.

Then, a second bat found in west Regina in late April tested positive May 13 for the fatal disease.

"Rabies is relatively uncommon in the wild bat population. Normally less than three per cent of bats carry rabies," said Iga Stasiak, a wildlife health specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.

The first bat was found on the floor of a homeowner's garage in east Regina in mid-March, according to Stasiak.

The homeowner used a shovel to place the bat inside a box and took it to Salthaven West, a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Regina.

At first, the bat appeared to be healthy, according to Natalia Slipak, the clinic manager at Salthaven West.

Slipak said the adult female bat was underweight and exhibited signs of stress, including biting and vocalizing, but otherwise appeared normal.

"Just being vocal and occasionally biting a towel does not justify me sending them for testing," she said. 

But after a couple of weeks the bat stopped eating and developed a tremor.

The next day, April 1, it died.

The only way to test for rabies is to examine the brain tissue of a dead animal.

"We sent her for testing because … we were concerned. Those tremors are not very normal and the lack of appetite."

Test results confirmed the bat had rabies.

Rabies is a virus that attacks the nervous system of infected mammals and is 100 per cent fatal once the animal or person starts exhibiting symptoms.

The virus is transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal.

Since 1924, there have been two human deaths from rabies in Saskatchewan, according to the Government of Canada's rabies monitoring site.

Symptoms of rabies in wild animals include aggression, loss of fear of humans, paralysis and difficulty swallowing.

In this instance, the homeowner didn't have direct contact with the bat.

Salthaven staff are vaccinated against rabies and use protective gloves when handling wild animals, so the rabies tests weren't expedited.

"The issues arise if someone has handled it without gloves, suspects they may have been bitten, or if a bat is found in a room with a child or an impaired person," Stasiak said.

The second bat was found in Regina's McNab community and dropped off at Salthaven West on April 27 with "no obvious symptoms," according to the Ministry of Environment.

That bat died three days later on April 30.

Tests completed May 13 confirmed the second bat also had rabies.

Stasiak said both animals were big brown bats, the most common form of bats living in Saskatchewan.

She said about six bats test positive for rabies each year in Saskatchewan on average, with maybe one case every year or two in Regina.

Stasiak said anyone who suspects an animal has rabies or has been exposed should contact the province's Rabies Response Program.

"There is some level of rabies in the bat population, it's not exactly unusual, but the vast majority of bats are healthy and do not carry rabies," she said.

Vaccinate pets

Dr. Cathy Dick, a faculty associate at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine's small animal vet clinic, said it's important that people keep their pets' vaccinations up to date.

"Even those indoor kitty cats that never go outside, it's still very important," she said.

"If a bat gets in the house, who's going to kill it? It's going to be the cat. Well the bats that get in the house are sick bats. So even those indoor cats should be vaccinated for rabies."

Mark Brigham, a biology professor and bat specialist at the University of Regina, agreed with Dick and said vaccination is critical in preventing rabies.

"The best vaccination against any viral disease in the world is against rabies."

Brigham said it's not known how bats contract the disease.

"As a scientist we don't know how they get it. Anything that would bite a bat to give it rabies is likely to kill it."

He said animals infected with rabies suffer a horrible death. The virus causes paralysis and animals foam at the mouth because they can't swallow.

While the instance of rabies in bats is low, Brigham said people need to stay away from any animal behaving strangely.

"It's a horrible disease. If you get rabies you're going to die."

Bats under threat

Biologists and veterinarians both agree that bats generally don't pose a risk to humans and are important to the province's ecosystem.

In Saskatchewan, the animals are protected.

People who want to remove bats from their home must apply for a bat exclusion permit, which is available in May and September, Stasiak said.

She also noted that bats are a major predator of insects including mosquitoes, moths and crop pests. 

They're also at risk.

Stasiak said bats are under threat from habitat loss and an invasive, deadly fungal disease called white nose syndrome.

"We need to balance conservation with public safety," Stasiak said.