Cook County finds a clever way to celebrate Halloween

Governmental units, whether state, local, or national, can not let any holiday slip by unnoticed. So it will surprise no one that Cook County sought to commemmorate Halloween in some way.

But how?

Zombies?

I think it was the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, a couple of years back, that cleverly promoted a disaster preparedness campaign with commercials about how to deal with a zombie apocolypse. Very clever.

But, if that idea was floated in the offices of Cook County government, it must have been shot down quickly: The midterm elections are next week, after all, and nobody would want to risk offending an important constituency like the undead so close thereto.

Then someone hit on the brilliant idea of rabid bats. Bats are as much a symbol of Halloween as jack-o-lanterns. And rabid bats are an actual public health concern, even in urban areas: We may not have all that many belfries here, but there are many other places in Cook County where bats can congregate, sometimes in large numbers.

So today, on Halloween, the County of Cook has published this interactive map shwoing locations where rabid bats have been found in Cook County. A non-interactive screenshot of that map is published above. According to the press release announcing the map, 11 rabid bats have been found already this year in Cook County.

And -- and this is creepy -- according to Dr. Tom Wake, DVM, the administrator of the Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control, a significant number of these rabid bats have been found inside people's homes. (Cue scary music.)

To help prevent the spread of rabies throughout the County, ARC hosts low-cost or free Partners in Prevention clinics, where rabies vaccines and microchips are administered to County pets. ARC has hosted 35 clinics so far this year with the final clinic of the season scheduled for Saturday, November 5. In 2022, ARC has helped vaccinate 5,033 pets against rabies and administered 2,863 microchips. (Click on this link to view rabies vaccine and microchip clinic information.)

Dr. Wake reminds residents that rabies is almost always fatal to humans if left untreated. The viral disease is transmitted through saliva and spread when an infected animal scratches or bites another animal or human. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you’ve been in contact with any wildlife or unfamiliar animals, particularly if you’ve been bitten or scratched, you should talk with a healthcare or public health professional to determine your risk for rabies or other illnesses.

While wild animals such as bats should never be handled by residents, they do play an important role in the County’s ecosystem, such as consuming large amounts of insects including mosquitoes. A single half-ounce little brown bat can eat half its body weight in insects each night.

Healthy bat populations reflect a complex ecosystem that provides the food and habitat they need. “Bats are amazing flying mammals that act as important biomonitors, helping to indicate the health of our environment,” said Chris Anchor, senior wildlife biologist for the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

The Forest Preserves has been actively surveying and researching bats for more than four decades, documenting nine species in Cook County. About half of Cook County bat species are colonial and roost in groups of hundreds or even thousands of individuals. The other species are solitary and can be found hanging alone or in small maternal family groups in trees and shrubs.

More information about rabies prevention can be found at this link.

Now... go check out that noise you keep hearing in the attic. But maybe don't go there alone.