Bat

Chiroptera spp.

✓What to do NOW

1Pick up EXCLUSIVELY with cut-resistant gloves, thick oven gloves, or using a box — never bare-handed
2Place an open box near the animal and guide it inside with a piece of cardboard
3Box with small holes (it must not escape), damp folded cloth on the bottom (humidity is vital)
4Keep at 18–20°C, in the dark, away from draughts
5Contact CRAS or the Gruppo Italiano Ricerca Chirotteri (GIRC)
6If bitten or scratched: wash the wound with soap and water for AT LEAST 15 minutes, disinfect with iodine, go to A&E within 24 hours to assess post-exposure prophylaxis

✗NEVER do this

✗NEVER touch bare-handed — absolute rule, no exceptions
✗Do not give food or water without CRAS guidance
✗Do not release during the day or at temperatures below 10°C
✗Do not cage in wire mesh (it damages the wing membranes)
✗Do not use insecticides in the room where it was found

⚠ Important note

Italian bats may carry European Bat Lyssavirus (EBL1 and EBL2), a virus in the rabies family. The risk of transmission is low but real and the virus is fatal without timely prophylaxis. In case of contact with broken skin or a bite: A&E staff must be told it was contact with a bat — prophylaxis with immunoglobulins and vaccine must begin within 24–48 hours of exposure.

⚖ Legal protection

All Italian bats (all 34 species) are protected by Legislative Decree 227/2001, Law 221/2015, and the Habitats Directive (Annex IV). Disturbing them even at hibernation or breeding sites (caves, attics, buildings) is prohibited.

Also known as

common noctulesoprano pipistrelleserotine batminiopterushorseshoe batlong-eared batcommon pipistrelle

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