Not fun this week. Fun now. But not yesterday and not the day before. This city girl doesn't like nature living with her, unless, of course,  it's human, dog or cat. I love animals, but it's a universal kind of love, and very exclusive.

Had an intruder in my office earlier this week,  which I thought was a bird. My house is an old carriage house that was built in the middle of a bird sanctuary.  I 'm used to birds getting in. I don't like it, but every once in a while a nosy grackle finds its way inside. After my customary tantrum, shrieks and expletives, the little birdie is gently escorted outside to freedom. I've got it down to a science now.

I was focused, and on a roll when I saw this strange dark creature whizzing overhead. Didn't look like any bird I'd ever seen. Seemed to be all wings. Seemed to like sitting on the carpet in my office, something that birds never do. Opened an outside door to make it possible for him to leave, but he was confused. Next best thing, I closed all the doors except for the bathroom,  and left the room myself. My idea was to trap him in the bathroom. It worked perfectly. He was sitting in the bathtub when I came in with a towel, intending to pick him up and take him outside to freedom. He was making the strangest sound.  Freaky!  Wooo, this was no bird. Got a good look at him. He was a bat!

Ugh! Bats often have rabies, so this was a task for the experts, not me. Not without leather gloves and not without a net. And I'm chicken.

Hit the telephone.  Forget EPA, forget DEP.  They are useless.  After pleading my case,  the Police (Department of Animal Control) agreed to come out to help "moi" damsel in distress. They usually handle only domestic animals, so they did me a big favor. They know bats can be rabid. I don't know what I would have done without that help. Don't like bats, nothing personal. But I know they are very important to the ecology and they are a protected species. Still, I was angry about the interruption. Not totally heartless though, so was also worried about this helpless little creature held captive in my bathroom, and also worried about his destiny. This was a small adult bat. Police put him in a cage and said they were taking him to the lab for testing.  He didn't bite anyone, poor little guy. They do bite if you scare them by picking them up.  It's important to test for rabies whether the animal has bitten anyone or not.  Even I was advised to talk to my doctor about being exposed, just in case. I wasn't bitten, and that's usually the way one gets rabies. Quite sure I'm OK, but I felt awful about the bat. He was just a loner bat looking for a cave. Don't know how he got in, could've come in through the front door. According to the police, all they need is a quarter inch crack to slip in to your living space. So it's good to make sure there are no openings from the attic or basement. If there are, seal them up.

I think "nuisance wildlife" can be a great niche. Bats can be a good niche. Mammals prone to rabies can be a good one. How about: bat control products (280,000 searches), bat intruders (151,000 searches), what to do about bats (11,500,000 searches), what to do about bats in your house (7,110,000 searches), batty over bats (307,000), bats and rabies (65,000), nuisance wildlife (229,000). 

All I can say is that if someone has a real problem with bats, they will pay well ( really anything )  for products to rid themselves of the problem.  Exterminators are very expensive. So are trappers. So is nuisance wildlife removal. So if you can offer a solution that will protect the human and be kind to the animals, then you've got something. And it's a great opportunity to provide content.  It's a thought. Who knows, I might take it on. But I don't know if I want to think that much about bats.

Here's something you can market for bat lovers: http://theoccasionalbat.com/faq.html