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Try
to imagine what this feels like... |
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Someone
takes you captive, you don't know why. You
don't speak their language and you are
powerless to escape. You have no idea what
they want of you, and you are terrified.
Your captor locks you into a bathroom. This
bathroom has a window covered with a shade,
but you are not allowed to open it, look
outside or get fresh air. There is a sink,
but only your captor knows how to turn the
water on. There is a toilet where you can
eliminate, but only your captor decides when
it should be flushed. You get the same thing
to eat day after day after day after day.
When you don't feel good no one knows how to
help, so you suffer in pain. There are no
pictures on the walls, no TV, no companion,
absolutely nothing whatsoever to help you
pass the endless days and nights. You are
completely alone, and this is where you will
spend every single day for the rest of your
natural life.
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| This is
what a wild animal feels when we take it in
to captivity. It have lost all control of
its world. As captors, we control everything
about that animals' daily life. What it
eats, when it gets fresh water, when its
cage is cleaned of feces, whether or not it
gets fresh air, has companions, and whether
or not it has any enrichment to brighten its
caged life. |
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| You can
see why it is not a good idea to own wild
animals. It might make you feel cool, but
people who know better (and most of them do)
feel that it is a horrible cruelty for the
animal and they cringe when they see other
people keeping wild animals as pets. |
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| Bats are
beautiful and something we all love, but the
act of keeping one as a pet will cause it to
experience great terror, inappropriate and
damaging nutrition, loss of it's right to
enjoy reproduction and rearing if it's
young, and terrible loneliness and boredom.
Wild bats are capable of living over 25
years. Bats kept as pets rarely survive more
than one year. |
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Additionally, bats are protected by law at
many levels. Regulations govern the taking
of bats from the wild, and any exchange
between individuals or organizations. The
transfer of bats is carefully regulated by
the CDC. USDA permits from the Animal Health
Inspection Service are required, and special
permitting regulations now apply at the
state level. Interstate laws also prohibit
transport of these animals without special
authority. |
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| To keep
bats in captivity one must be USDA licensed,
and have the necessary state and local
permits for native wildlife. Bats cannot be
transported within the USA without a CDC
permit. Bats can only be transferred to an
institution that is bona fide conservation,
zoological or scientific organization or
registered establishments that have approved
facilities and certified education programs. |
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| Although
the rabies virus is maintained at a very low
frequency of infection in wild bat
populations, bats and other wild animals are
considered to be a rabies vector species and
special administrative codes under the
Departments of Health and Zoonosis Control
address this issue. Valuable information is
also provided by the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention biohazard
regulations as they pertain to bats. |
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If you truly
love bats and would like to get involved in
helping them, consider becoming a wildlife
rehabilitator. There are wildlife rescue
centers in almost every state that give
classes and offer volunteer opportunities in
wildlife rehabilitation. Contact your state
department of wildlife for more information.
There are also workshops of all kinds
available specifically for the study and
care of bats. |
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| Note:
If you have a "pet bat" and want to better
its life by placing it into a sanctuary,
please contact us at
sanctuary@batworld.org. We will be
happy to help, no questions asked.
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