Bat work to end after rabies death

Licences to work with bats in Scotland are to be suspended indefinitely following the death of the first person to contract rabies in Britain for 100 years.

Scottish Natural Heritage said it was carrying out a detailed risk assessment after David McRae, from Angus, contracted European Bat Lyssavirus.

But a spokesman said a cull of bats was unlikely.

All but a handful of the 101 licences issued by SNH were suspended after Mr McRae was admitted to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, with symptoms of the fatal disease.

He died last night hours after tests confirmed he had contracted the condition.

SNH spokesman George Anderson said the organisation was planning an overhaul of working practices which could lead to a reduction in the number of bat licences issued.

He said: “It’s something we have to look at. Everything is up for review.

“All but a handful of licences have been suspended until we know what the risks are and what procedures need to be put in place.

“Now we have made sure everybody’s safe, we need to work with a wide range of experts in areas like human health and infectious diseases.”

Mr Anderson stressed there was no immediate risk to the public from bats and no evidence the virus could be transmitted to other animals such as dogs and foxes.

He said: “The only way anyone could be at risk is if somebody who is not supposed to be handling bats is bitten and doesn’t know about it.

“Bats do suffer from a public image that is informed by horror movies, and that image isn’t an accurate one.

“Bats don’t bite anything bigger than a moth unless they are provoked severely by someone handling them.

“I think people really need to clear their heads of all the Dracula nonsense and be sensible about how they view them.”

But he appeared to rule out a cull of the bat population in the area as an impractical step.

He said: “It would be extremely difficult to carry out a cull and make it effective. It will have to be looked at, but there is no indication that a cull would be effective or necessary.”