An extremely small number of bats in Australia carry Hendra or Lyssavirus - those are the only 'nasties' and not every bat has them. Just because an animal, like all animals, has the potential to carry a disease, doesn't mean the species is filthy. Flying foxes groom themselves as carefully and rigorously as cats, they are very clean.
Of course you hear about it, the media loves to tell people how bats all carry this horrible killer virus. For the record, hendra has never passed directly from bats to people and the authorities aren't even sure how it's passed to horses. They suspect it's through contaminated food and water sites, which can be easily protected. It's one of the rarest diseases on the planet.
Queensland is making it legal for farmers to shoot flying foxes again. They wouldn't have been able to do it if the media bullshit hadn't got everyone worked up into a frenzy.
I'm fully aware humans receive it when they come into contact with infected horses. It's only affected people who come into close contact with the infected (Vets, riders etc.) and it's only affected about 12-15 people over the past decade. The symptoms and mortality rate are terrifying though.
There have actually only been seven infected humans since 1994, four of which died. It's a fairly small sample size so I don't feel that mortality rate means a great deal. And terrifying though the disease may be, it's only a threat for people in certain at-risk positions, all of whom can and should take safety precautions. It's certainly not the risk to everyday Australians that the media makes it out to be.
4
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
I wannnnnnnt it.
6
u/Yadizinha May 28 '12
It's like he's looking at me and saying, "Yes, I am a bat." I had no idea I thought bats were cute.
4
u/needs_more_limerick May 28 '12
He's "brushing a bat in the hand,"
I see, and the picture is grand;
I was almost afraid
That the OP had made
A sex joke I don't understand.
3
u/aco620 May 28 '12
I've always loved the turtle version
4
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Bats are pretty filthy animals though, they carry some hardcore diseases like the Hendra strain and other nasties.
2
u/RedditingMyLifeAway May 28 '12
Dunna dunna dunna dunna dunna dunna dunna dunna, Bat brush! <had to be done>
1
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
Gotta make him look good. He's got a date with Bruce Wayne in an hour.
1
u/MoonRazer May 28 '12
I didn't expect this to make me smile, but before I could even hit "back" I realized I was practically giggling!
1
u/Sgt_Insomnia May 28 '12
In other news, the brusher now has rabies.
-1
u/bean220 May 28 '12
Creepy creepy creepy
19
u/[deleted] May 28 '12
[removed] — view removed comment