A Carleton professor who has discovered bats in the university tunnels is taking matters into his own hands—literally.
Psychology professor Brian Tansley said in a CBC interview he rescues bats trapped in the tunnels by scooping them up with a towel and releasing them back into the wild.
“It’s just that they’ve got themselves into an inescapable situation that they can’t deal with themselves, so they need a little help,” he said in the interview.
Heather Badenoch, a board member for the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (RVWS), said she thinks Tansley is “fantastic.”
“What a caring professor, to find these bats in the tunnels,” she said.
Badenoch said she went to Carleton and understands how difficult it might be for someone—or even a bat—to find their way out.
“It’s not like any of the exits are ever left open. Once they get in, getting out must be quite difficult,” she said.
“He’s releasing them hopefully on campus within a kilometre of where he found them, and that’s the ideal scenario,” Badenoch added.
She said she encourages anyone who discovers injured wildlife to call the RVWS.
People can call in and bring injured animals to the sanctuary, according to Badenoch.
“We actually released a bat at 24 Sussex in the spring,” she added.
Charles Francis, an adjunct research professor at Carleton specializing in birds and bats, said some bats often hibernate in the winter in attics or ducts.
He said he isn’t sure what species of bat end up in the university tunnels, but one likely culprit might be the big brown bat, which often hibernates in buildings or caves.
“Most likely these tunnel bats got into the tunnel through an air vent to the outside, exploring to see whether it might be a suitable hibernation site. But [they] then got into the tunnels themselves and possibly got disoriented,” he said.
He added these bats drop their body temperature during hibernation, but still have to find a way to avoid freezing.
“Their ideal building site is partially heated so that the temperature stays above freezing, but is not too warm,” he said.
Darryl Boyce, assistant vice-president of facilities and management planning, said he hasn’t heard any reports of bats in the university’s tunnel system, despite Tansley’s efforts to free the bats.
“There’s the odd time a bat will get in a building, but I haven’t heard specifically about tunnels,” he said. “It hasn’t been reported as an issue to us.”
Boyce said there is a service number published around campus, and he encourages people to call if they spot an animal in a Carleton building.
He said Orkin, a pest control organization, will relocate animals discovered in buildings or tunnels at Carleton.
He added he supports Tansley’s decision to free bats from the tunnels.
“That’s basically what we would do if we called in the service. They would come and catch it, and get it outside,” Boyce said.
Tansley was vaccinated for rabies after handling one of the bats according to the CBC interview, but instructions on how to safely release a bat or handle an injured bat can be found on the RVWS website.
