Re: Speaking of bunnies (Man-eating Rabbits, Bats & Rabies))


About 40 years ago, a large pet rabbit in NYC ate a baby that was
left unattended.

We ate some rabbits when I was a kid and I was tricked into
trying them at first, by being told they were fried chickens. Later,
when the truth was revealed, I couldn't honestly say I noticed any
difference. Later, I was tricked into eating squirrels, by being told
they were "tree rabbits". Both my parents were Hillbillies, born in
shacks in the swamps and they ate whatever they could catch. Even when
we lived in a city, it was common to find the drying hides of skinned
animals hanging in the basement. When my Ma was 85 years old, I
delighted her by dropping off the carcase of a fresh-killed deer, which
she quickly turned into some buckskin jackets and venison jerky.

Vampire Bats live only in a part of So. America and weigh only
about 2 ounces or less. They feed mostly on the blood of cattle and
other large grazing animals as they sleep at night. They often land
close to a reclining host and make sure it isn't going to move, before
they carefully crawl up to a feeding position. It's very unlikely one
would ever have a go at a Human.

Bats are the main carriers of rabies, although transmission to
people is rare. Typically, when it happens, a dog or cat will catch an
infected bat, contract rabies from it and then pass it on to its human
friends. If a bat struck my bare skin and caused a wound, I'd report in
immediately for my Rabies Immune Globulin shot and start a series of
Rabies Innoculation shots. If the bat was killed and could be
recovered, the local Health Dept. could have it tested for rabies and
the shots could be avoided, if it came up negative. However, I'd
probably want to get the globulin shot, at least, even before the test
results were available, as it gives about 2 weeks of quick immunity and
should clear out any rabies virus that's already in your body.

The closer to your head a rabies-infected wound is located, the
more quickly the virus will move along nerves to your brain. At that
point, it goes into the active stage, and becomes incurable. You can
also catch it from infected animal saliva that gets into your eyes, nose
or mouth. Some people have caught it from the mist floating around in a
bat-roosting cave.

The full innoculation series of either 3 or 5 shots, gives about 3
years of immunity. There's a 3-shot series for pre-exposure immunity
and a 5-shot series for people who have been exposed, in addition to the
globulin shot that is given for more immediate immunity. In the past 10
years, in my state, there's been only 5 cases of rabid animals
confirmed. This doesn't mean that there aren't more out there in the
wild, that are infected and die without coming to our attention. Not
all rabid animals become vicious or aggressive. Many of them shrink
away from contact and become lethargic.

One time, at dusk, I was pedaling full speed down a moderately steep
slope on a rural road. I was hitting about 35-38 mph and bounced
several Little Brown Bats off my chest and head. I was wearing a shirt
and hat and no skin was broken. These bats just weren't used to
something with so small a sonar signature, that was going that fast on
the ground, so they didn't dodge in time. I take that stretch much more
slowly now, if it's feeding time for the bats.

Bats, birds and bees are another good reason to have a fairing on
either a bicycle or a motorcycle. I was once riding a motorcycle
shirtless and without a fairing. I ran right through a swarm of
honeybees at 50 mph and it felt like I was getting shot with .22
bullets. There was a cycle shop up ahead and I turned in and bought a
fairing for it without delay. When I had a large fairing on my bicycle,
it blocked me from getting hit by several eggs. It's always a good idea
to clean off egg residue immediately, when your bike is hit, as it dries
into a very hard and stubborn substance to remove later. I propose
legislation that would ban teenagers from buying eggs on Friday and
Saturday nights.

Steve McDonald
Oregon

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