By: Sophia O’Brien
Kara McClanahan saves bats in her off time. The Instructional Lab Supervisor for SBS grew up in the southwest, which is where her love for bats arose — the climate there is warm and dry making it the perfect environment for many bat species. McClanahan spent part of her childhood in the subtropics of Japan, where she first saw fruit bats. She found it fascinating that such little animals could create such a demonic ideal in people and in the media.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in zoology from WSU, she looked to WSU faculty member Mike Webster for guidance on continuing graduate studies here. Webster studied animal behavior, specifically birds, and became McClanahan’s informal “genetics advisor”; he put her in contact with Christine Portfors a WSU Vancouver professor who became McClanahan’s “bat advisor”. McClanahan’s and Portfors’ studies on foraging bats in Central Washington looked at identifying what insects bats were eating by looking at the DNA in bat feces.
Though her days of bat research are behind her, she still participates in all things bat around campus. It is not unusual for the police, animal control, or environmental health to call in need of her bat rescuing expertise. McClanahan has her rabies vaccinations, which is one of the reasons she is often called when a bat is trapped indoor. Bats that are trapped inside are typically roosting on a wall or in a doorframe. She sneaks up on them and grabs them with leather gloves before taking them home to be fed and given fluids. The bats will fly away within a couple hours. She is in the process of acquiring a license for bat rehabilitation, which will make it so she can help bats with injuries and hold them for longer rehabilitation periods if necessary.
One of her most difficult bat rescues occurred in Webster Hall. All she knew was that there was a bat in the stairway; Webster has 14 floors. After making it to the top floor, she found the bat flying around the ceiling of the stairwell. Having nothing but the plastic aquarium and towel that she uses to transport the bats home, she decided to try throwing the towel in the air in hopes of it driving the bat down. The bat swooped down to avoid the towel and landed on the floor, lucky for her she was able to grab it safely.
So, what do you do if there’s a bat in your house? According to McClanahan, if a bat is found indoors and is just resting and hanging out during the day, it means it’s just seeking warmth and safety. The bat will fly back outside at night. They are creatures of habit, and will try to return to the safety of indoors. Once the bat has flown out, cover the entryway and put a bat house outside.
If you’re interested in more information on bats and how to keep bats out of your home visit:
http://www.batcon.org/resources/for-specific-issues/bats-in-buildings/prevention