There are a lot of people that will think on the media's perception when they think of bats. Movies, TV and ill informed people spread a horrible myth that is at best, WAY WAY over-exaggerated. Bats Carry Rabies.
NOT TRUE! Only 1% of all the bats in the world carry rabies, and those that do generally go find themselves a quiet place to die, away from all other creatures.
However, this horrible misconception still carries a death sentence for bats, should someone handle a bat bare-handed. The CDC will kill a bat should someone happen to pick it up with their bare hands, try to keep a wild bat as a pet or even think that it was given the slightest chance to bite someone.
Imagine this- You are traveling about, minding your own business and enjoying your life when you end up getting lost or hurt. You are scared, very scared and starting to panic a little when some thing 500 times your size comes at you, reaching out huge things to grab you. All you can think is "this thing is going to eat me!" as you try desperately to get away. You have only one defense, your teeth. You don't know that this huge thing is here to help or to hurt you, all you can think of is getting away, and now. So... You bite as hard as you can. THAT is how a bat feels when it's hurt or lost and someone who doesn't know what they are doing tries to pick it up. No matter what, if you are bitten by a wild animal, you MUST go to a hospital to be checked for diseases and infections.
The story doesn't end there... you've bitten the massive thing that was maybe trying to hurt you, and you drew blood. Despite feeling a bit of joy at successfully defending yourself, you are forced into a small container. There's no freedom, no room to move, no fresh air and no way of knowing where you are being taken. When you are finally able to get free, you are grabbed forcefully, you can't move and something sharp is shoved into your skin, injecting you with something. You start feeling sleepy, no matter how hard you try, you can't fight the sleep that calls you now. You close your eyes, hoping that when you wake up, you can FINALLY get back to your free life. You don't wake up ever again. That's right, the bat WILL be euthanized before they test it for Rabies. Why? Rabies can only be confirmed by examining the brain of an animal.
So, what should you do if you happen to find yourself in a position where you may have to handle a bat? Maybe one is laying on the ground in y
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