Olivenhain Plagued by Own Brand of Batmania
Let us talk now of the bats of Olivenhain.
Olivenhain has had bats for as long as anyone can remember. Olivenhain had bats before it had subdivisions or weary urbanites yearning for the rural life style.
The bats arrive in the spring and have their bat babies. Most depart in the fall for Mexico, although some remain in Olivenhain year-round, probably retired bats.
The 1,500 or so residents of Olivenhain are fond of their bats. A favorite bat nesting place is among the rafters of the Olivenhain Meeting Hall, the handsome but aging wooden structure that was built in 1895.
But this year the bats went too far. First, several hundred more than usual flocked to the Meeting Hall. And second, a county veterinarian tested a couple of bat carcasses and found rabies.
The Meeting Hall was immediately closed while Town Council President Joe Dodds went shopping for a bat-terminator. He called the county Department of Health Services. That’s when his bat education began.
The county bat specialist referred him to the bat specialist for the state Department of Health Services in Berkeley, Dennis Constantine.
Constantine told Dodds that Olivenhain should just wait until the bats leave and then plug up the many cracks in the Meeting Hall to prevent the bats from returning. Just because a few bats are rabid does not mean the whole colony is infected.
“Poisoning the bats would cause more trouble than it’s worth,” Constantine said. “All you would have is a lot of sick bats flying around.”
DDT kills bats quite effectively, but it’s illegal. Dodds could shoot or trap the bats, but that would anger the state Department of Fish & Game, Constantine said.
The county bat specialist delivered the same message Wednesday night to the Olivenhain Town Council: There is no approved pesticide that can kill roosting bats.
Dodds dreads having to break the bat news to Olivenhain residents who planned on having their weddings and family gatherings in the Meeting Hall. But the hall has to remain closed, lest a rabid bat bite a bride or groom, he said.
“I like bats, but I like people more,” Dodds said. “I’m puzzled, to say the least. I’m not looking forward to making those calls.”
War and Peace
Violence, near and far.
* Pro wrestling is back at the Del Mar Fair. A five-act card is set for 8 tonight, including a tag-team match of Prince Maiva Jr. and Victor Rivera vs. the Lords of Discipline.
It’s not cold fusion. On the other hand, it’s free. In the Horse Arena.
* The Peace Corps has put on hold its first-ever plan to send volunteers to teach English in the People’s Republic of China. Pending a final decision, the volunteers will continue training in Washington.
One volunteer, Solo Lin Chung-hui, 26, a graduate of San Diego State University, has already transferred to a Peace Corps program in Thailand.
Even before the recent bloodshed, she was antsy about going to China. She was born in Taiwan and her grandfather was a Nationalist army officer under Chiang Kai-shek.
* Look for combativeness at the San Diego City Council to increase.
Councilman Bruce Henderson on Thursday endorsed challenger Bob Trettin against Councilwoman Abbe Wolfsheimer, breaking an unwritten City Hall rule that a council member should not give aid or comfort to a colleague’s election opponent.
Survival, Aikido Style
The University for Humanistic Studies in Del Mar will offer a course in July entitled “Aikido and the Psychotherapy Process,” taught by Rikko Varjan and his wife, Kristina.
He’s a former chief psychologist at the University of New Mexico. She’s a black belt who has taught the Japanese martial art at retirement homes, prisons, Indian reservations, African villages and alcoholic treatment centers.
The goal of the course is self-defense against aggression, verbal and physical. Translation: Love thine enemy, but first throw him to the ground.
