Bats ‘Invading’ Chileans; Quake Gets the Blame

This South American country is under a seeming invasion of bats, and experts say it’s because of a recent earthquake.

“The bats were driven from their homes, just like the people were. They’re disoriented. They’re looking for new places to settle,” said zoology professor Elizabeth Chiappa of the Catholic University of Valparaiso.

“The bats’ life style has been changed,” she said. “They go out more in daylight. Therefore, they’re having more run-ins with human beings.”

A March earthquake shook the Santiago capital and Valparaiso, Chile’s No. 2 city, 75 miles northwest, killing 178 people and leaving more than 1 million homeless. Milder tremors have been jolting the two cities ever since.

Panicked mothers have found their children playing with the winged mammals. Parishioners of a downtown Santiago Catholic church recently screamed in fright when they discovered, literally, bats in the belfry.

Dr. Mario Munoz, the head of the Greater Santiago Environmental Health Service, which has sent out special bat-capturing squads, also believes the tremors have led to the zoological phenomenon.

Munoz said that since the earthquake, his service, aided by the University of Chile’s Veterinary School, had caught more than 400 bats. Concerned citizens who have found bats in their homes “or sometimes just walking down the street” call the health service several times a day requesting help.

It even was necessary to call in an expert bat zoologist from southern Chile, who, according to Munoz, knows special bat-trapping techniques such as using white sheets to throw off their radar.

Seven of the bats were found to be carrying rabies, but the health service chief, noting Chile’s excellent record in rabies control--no human infection in 14 years--said the danger to people is minimal.

“However, we must constantly warn people: Don’t touch bats,” Munoz said. “Bats are not naturally aggressive,” he added. “The problem is that when people chase after bats, the bats react, and this increases the chance of contact with human beings.