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The environment desk at Aspen Public Radio covers issues in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout the state of Colorado including water use and quality, impact of recreation, population growth and oil and gas development. APR’s Environment Reporter is Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

Cats 11, bats 0

Courtesy of Pitkin County

Pitkin County public health officials are cautioning residents about an increase in bat activity after 11 of them were recently found dead along a trail in Snowmass Village.

Bats play an important role in the ecosystem as pollinators and insect eaters, but they can also carry rabies.

“Far and away, most bats we test come back negative,” said Kurt Dahl, Pitkin County’s environmental health manager.

It is unlikely that people in Pitkin County will be exposed to rabies, but the disease is serious and nearly always fatal if not treated immediately.

A veterinarian from Colorado Parks and Wildlife determined that the 11 bats found dead near the Season’s 4 condos in Snowmass Village fell victim to a housecat; they tested negative for rabies. There have been no positive tests for the disease this year, but there have been in the past.

Bats can expose humans to rabies through saliva, and Dahl recommends that anyone who may be exposed to a bite contact animal control so they can test the bat.

Officials recommend that pet owners keep rabies vaccinations up to date, including for cats, who are more likely than dogs to hunt bats.

 

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.
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