Spike In Bat Deaths, Injuries May Be Tied To California Drought

WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A spike in dead and injured bats from Woodland to West Sacramento may be related to the drought, an expert tells CBS13.

Corky Quirk, known in our area as the Bat Lady, is the founder of Northern California Bats. She rescues, rehabilitates and releases the flying mammals.

Recently, she's noticed something unusual—most of them are coming in wounded, needing her help.

"An average of one a day in the last nine days, which is not what I normally see this time of year," she said.

Vicky Fletcher with Yolo County Animal Control says she's counted five dead or hurt bats since late last month—one of them with rabies, and one that came into contact with two dogs.

"The dogs are in quarantine at home until we get the results back on the bat," she said.

Fletcher says the bats mainly came from Davis, with another from West Sacramento and another in Woodland.

Quirk says most bats die in August as many young bats are learning to fly.

She believes it could be tied to the drought, because all the bats she's currently nursing came in dehydrated.

"I don't really know for sure, but I assume that the drought has something to do with the inability for the bats to find enough either food and or places to drink," she said.