Rabid killer bat found - expect the headlines.

Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii ) is rarely found far from rivers or lakes and is characterised by a steady steady flight, often within a few centimetres of the water surface and is frequently said to look like a smallhovercraft. Daubenton’s bats take aquatic insects, their larvae and pupae from on or close to the water surface.

They have even been seen taking prey directly from the water surface, using their distinctive large furry feet as a gaff or the tail membrane as a scoop. They are sometimes called the water bat.

They hibernate in small colonies and emerge in the spring and can range up to 7 kilometres from their roosts. They are not a threatened species in the UK, but they are endangered in West Germany and Austria. You can hear recordings of their ultrasonic signals at this website.

DeFRA have announced today that a Daubenton's bat that was submitted to the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) in Weybridge, Surrey which was killed after been seen behaving oddly has tested postive for the presence of European Bat Lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2), a strain of bat rabies. This presents no risk to the public.

The bat had been found injured in August last year in Bushy Park, Surrey, by a member of the public and was passsed into the care of a number of experienced bat handlers.

European Bat Lyssavirus (EBLV) is a strain of the rabies virus. The strain identified in this case is EBLV-2. EBLV has previously been isolated from six UK bats since 1996, in Sussex, Lancashire, Surrey, Oxfordshire, and Shropshire. The last case occurred in August 2007. It is known that there is a low prevalence of EBLV-2 in Daubenton's bats in England. This does not affect the UK's rabies-free animal health status under international guidelines.

Advice from the Health Protection Agency is that if anyone is bitten by a bat the wound should be cleaned with soap and water and they should seek medical advice immediately. The risk of humans being infected by EBVL-2 is negligible if they receive appropriate and timely medical treatment after exposure.

All UK Bats are protected by law (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) and must not be killed or their roost damaged. EBLVs may only be transmitted by the bite of an infected bat. There is therefore no risk to humans if bats are not approached or handled by them.

Anyone finding a sick or ailing bat should not approach or handle it but seek advice from the Bat Conservation Trust Helpline on 0845 1300 228. Further information can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/rabies/q&a.htm