On a recent visit to North Carolina, I found an article in the Asheville
Citizen-Times written by George Ellison entitled "Our Misplaced Bats Come
Home to Roost".  Here is a quote from the article.
 
"Bats also suffer from exaggeration in regard to rabies.  According to M.J.
Harvey's 'Bats of the Eastern United States' (1992) less than one-half of
one percent of bats contract rabies.  Humans are much more likely to
contract rabies from dogs, foxes, skunks or raccons.  Even rabid bats are
seldom aggressive.  Harvey notes that between 1952 and 1992, 'Only about a
dozen people in the United States and Cananda are known to have contracted
rabies from bats.' "
 
OK, so where are the one-half of one percent of these "seldom aggressive"
bats who are flying into our homes, past our cozy beds, into our ferret
rooms, unlatching cage doors and attacking sleeping fuzzies?  That's what I
want to know!
[Posted in FML issue 2049]