Nature Done Wright

 
   Not the cheeriest of topics but …When a friend e-mailed me for advice on what to do with a
dead bat she found, I passed along the question to MacKenzie Hall of the
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

   Here's MacKenzie's reply:

   
There is no perfect answer for what to do with a dead
or dying bat, because the situations are different.

     Freshly deceased
bats should be handled carefully with leather gloves and refrigerated
immediately in double plastic ziplock bags to buy time while determining what
to do with it.   

   If a
possible exposure occurred – like waking up with a dead bat in the bedroom, or
if a child or pet had contact – then you should call the NJ Department of
Health or a local health department and submit the bat for rabies testing (see  http://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/documents/batexposure.pdf).

    If no exposure occurred, then contact
Mick Valent of NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife (908-638-4127) to find out if
an agency would like to collect the specimen.  For most tests it’s fine for the body to be frozen, so keep
it in the freezer until the transfer is made. 

  Bats that have
been dead a while are usually not useful for sampling and should be buried or
discarded. 

  A bat flying in
the home should be released (simply open a door/window until it exits) if no
possible exposure occurred. 

   In June & July
more bat incidents are expected, as this is when pups are first learning to fly
and may become disoriented or grounded…assess the situation for appropriate
action (return it to roost, bring to rehab, or submit for testing).

  By the time young bats can fly, they
look basically the same as adults so a determination is usually not possible
without closely analyzing the animal.

   (Thanks, MacKenzie!)