Rat s, Bat s, and Skunks Scott Borthwick - Canaan, NH
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t always amazes me how these three creatures strike so much fear into people. There are others of course, like snakes and porcupines, however, these three are the most common. Of this trio, bats are probably the most beneficial. Devouring thousands of mosquitos and other biting insects nightly. Sadly, they are affiliated with vampires, blood-sucking, creepy caves, eerie castles, rabies, and today even Covid-19. Most bats we have to deal with are either in the attic or the basement. The area, especially in older homes, that is the scariest. Today I had to travel an hour and a half to remove a bat from a creepy old basement. The customers had left the light on, closed the basement door, and stuffed a towel under the door. Upon arrival, I entered the basement slowly so I did not disturb the bat only to discover it was dead and had been dead for some time. The cobwebs a spider attached to the bat was a dead giveaway but at the same time made the scene more horrifying. Skunks, well we all know why skunks scare people. Their pungent odor is famous worldwide. Just seeing a skunk makes people shriek and run away in horror. In reality, they are quite harmless even though they are members of the weasel family. Yes, they can tear up lawns looking for grubs or occasionally get into the trash but for the most part, they prefer to be left alone and go about their business. Unfortunately, they too are known to carry rabies. Case in point recently I caught a skunk at a public location. It was caught in a live trap but was deceased. It also had the famous yellow liquid all over it. Traps are checked daily so it didn’t die from exposure. Being covered in its own fluid is not normal so I had it tested. It was positive for rabies. People in the area were notified. Later that week I caught the third culprit in this terrible trio roughly in the same area. It was healthy and behaving as it Spring 2022
should. However, more people were upset about a healthy rat than a rabid skunk. Rats are very common in New England. They look like large mice and also strike fear into most people’s minds and hearts. In most cases, I have dealt with they were near farms, lots of things to eat there, and water. Lakes, rivers, and brooks. For the most part, they go unseen but once in a while, they get into someone’s house. This is when we get called. Rats are very smart and after seeing one of their buddies get caught they become more cautious. So it takes some effort to trap them. Like any mammal, rats can get rabies but I am not familiar with any local cases. Their bad reputation came from the fleas they carried hundreds of years ago spreading the Black Plague. If any of these “monsters” bother you give us a call. If you just happen to see one leave it alone. They are more afraid of you than you of them. Scott Borthwick owns Estate Wildlife Control. He lives in Canaan, NH with his wife Donna, two dogs, a couple of horses, and one tough old chicken named Henrietta
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