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Name: Scott
Status: N/A
Age: 16
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2000-2001
Question:
I am interested in raising bats. Where do I start?

Replies:
I strongly suggest you do something else. I worked with bats as a graduate student and it is absolutely dangerous for inexperienced students. They carry rabies, so preventative shots is a requirement. They are not or will ever be friendly. Their guano carries diseases and that alone should be a enough to convince you otherwise. Furthermore, you have to have a Federal permit and in most States a second permit to keep them. Unless you have a sponsor, it is unlikely that will happen.

What you could do is build bat friendly housing around your house, and I suggest you seek out that information at a library. Bats are great for keeping flying insects populations under control.

Steve Sample York Community High School Elmhurst, Illinois ssample@elmhurst.k12.il.us

Try Bat Conservation International at:

http://www.batcon.org/

J. Elliott

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