Bats seen in Downtown El Paso

There’s only so much Batman can do to help the reputation of bats.

Some people see these flying mammals as disgusting – especially if they happen to see a few dead ones in Downtown as some El Pasoans have in recent weeks.

Although the sightings are few and far between there is caution you should take if you do encounter one.

For the most part, bats get a bad rep. They’ve been living in El Paso since before the city was called “El Paso.”

Downtown’s got a good set-up for bats with its dark abandoned buildings and garages filled with lots of nooks and crannies.

Steve Marshall, the El Paso Zoo’s director, said any place they can live away from other predators is going to be attractive to them.

“I think the city provides really good access,” Marshall said. “Downtown lighting provides insects.”

And if you happen to see a bat, don’t expect it to act like Dracula and try and bite you.

“The bats we’re going to see here are either fruit feeders or nectar feeders or insectivores,” Marshall said.

But then there’s the question of the rabies.

“It’s not unfounded,” Marshall said. “It has been proven that bats are known carriers of rabies.”

Any dead bats found in the El Paso area are collected by the City of El Paso’s Animal Services and tested for rabies.

If you see a bat, don’t try poking it.

“Call animal control,” Marshall said. “Get some advice from them and leave that up to the professionals. You certainly don’t want to put yourself at risk. Make sure that your animals are vaccinated whether they’re indoor animals or not. Animals are required to be vaccinated against rabies.”

Bats help in a variety of ways.

“Bats are pollinators,” Marshall said. “If plants don’t get pollinated then they certainly can’t continue to grow and that a great thing especially for some of our desert plants.”

Bats also eat their fair share of mosquitoes.