VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. ( WAVY) — When most people think about bats, they envision large, black creatures with enormous wings, beady eys and long fangs. Turns out, none of that is true.
Suzanne McBride is a long-time rehabber with Wildlife Response and she gave us the facts about bats.
Here in Hampton Roads, we have eight species of bats and full-grown, none of them weigh more than an ounce.
The eat their weight in garden insects, moths and mosquitos. Turns out, bats have no interest in coming after us, landing in our hair and they are not blind.
Bats are a rabies vector species, so Suzanne warns us not to put our bare hands on one if we see a bat in trouble or on the ground.
If you find any injured or orphaned wildlife, call the Wildlife Response Hotline at (757) 543-7000. For additional information and ways to help, visit their website at www.wildliferesponse.org