Table 4 Reported practices of respondents upon seeing a sick or injured bat
From: Cross sectional survey of human-bat interaction in Australia: public health implications
All respondents | Previously handled bats | Have not handled bats | Reported hearing a warning about bats | Reported hearing message “Not to handle bats” | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% | (n/821) | % | (n/127) | % | (n/694) | % | (n/345) | % | (n/121) | ||
Handle bat | Handle and take to the vet/animal welfare organization | 17.1 | 140 | 17.3 | 22 | 17.0 | 118 | 15.1 | 52 | 16.4 | 19 |
Handle and take home to care | 3.3 | 27 | 5.5 | 7 | 2.9 | 20 | 3.5 | 12 | 1.7 | 2 | |
Release it | 2.2 | 18 | 5.5 | 7 | 1.6 | 11 | 2.9 | 10 | 2.6 | 3 | |
Cover it with a towel or net | 2.1 | 17 | 3.2 | 4 | 1.9 | 13 | 2.3 | 8 | 3.5 | 4 | |
Put it in a box | 1.3 | 11 | 2.4 | 3 | 1.2 | 8 | 0.9 | 3 | 1.7 | 2 | |
Euthanize up close: involves touching bat | 0.9 | 7 | 2.4 | 3 | 0.6 | 4 | 1.5 | 5 | 0.9 | 1 | |
Not handle bat | Phone an animal welfare organisation | 54.9 | 451 | 49.6 | 63 | 55.9 | 388 | 55.1 | 190 | 56.0 | 65 |
Ignore it/leave it alone | 15.7 | 129 | 9.5 | 12 | 16.9 | 117 | 19.1 | 66 | 20.7 | 24 | |
Euthanize at distance: no touching | 5.4 | 44 | 15.0 | 19 | 36.0 | 25 | 8.4 | 29 | 11.2 | 13 | |