Bat Protocol

If you find a bat in a campus building:

  • Leave the room and close the door to the room where the bat was found.
  • Immediately call Campus Safety at (207) 786-6254 to request support for removing the bat. 
  • When calling Campus Safety, report the location (building and room number) and time the bat was found, as well as any information related to injuries or bites from, or contact with the bat.

If you know that the bat did not touch, scratch, or bite you, the only step is to report the presence of the bat to have it removed.

If you wake up with a bat in your room, or if you believe the bat injured, scratched, touched, or bit you:

  • Leave the room and close the door of the room where the bat was found.
  • Immediately call Campus Safety at (207) 786-6254 to request support for removing the bat.
    • Request from Campus Safety that the bat be caught and tested for rabies.
  • When calling Campus Safety, report the location (building and room number) and time the bat was found, as well as any information related to injuries or bites from, or contact with the bat.
  • Call the Maine CDC at (800) 821-5821 who will support you through accessing medical care if needed.
  • Following recommendations from the Maine CDC, you should be in touch with your health insurance company to understand your coverage for necessary healthcare that the CDC is recommending. 

What will Bates do following your report?

  • Campus Safety will contact a Pest Control Provider and request the bat be removed or captured depending on need.
    • If you wake up with a bat in your room, or if you believe the bat injured, scratched, touched, or bit you; Campus Safety will ask the Pest Control Provider to capture and test the bat for rabies.
  • If a student room is impacted, Campus Safety will inform Residence Life or the Coordinator On-Call of the situation, and Residence Life will work with the student to issue a temporary housing assignment, if needed.
  • Facility Services will evaluate if more comprehensive bat exclusion work (such as repairs to buildings or infrastructure or plugging holes where bats may be entering the building) is required or recommended by the Pest Control Provider.