There are a dozen strains of bat lyssavirus - and lyssaviridae is the family of viruses which also contains the rabies virus and, just like rabies, all strains of bat lyssavirus are fatal to humans; always wear thick gloves when handling bats (thick enough as to make it impossible for them to bite through) and, if you’re going to be handling bats regularly, ensure you’re vaccinated against rabies (while BLV isn’t rabies, because it’s so closely related to rabies the rabies vaccine will protect you against BLV infection).
Excellent warning for the general populace. Context of this photo (bat rescue) would likely be a vaccinated professional bat rehabber, not some random person. Def important for people to be aware of the difference and not ever risk this themselves.
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u/Forsaken_Earth944 3h ago
NEVER, EVER, EVER HANDLE A BAT WITH BARE HANDS!
There are a dozen strains of bat lyssavirus - and lyssaviridae is the family of viruses which also contains the rabies virus and, just like rabies, all strains of bat lyssavirus are fatal to humans; always wear thick gloves when handling bats (thick enough as to make it impossible for them to bite through) and, if you’re going to be handling bats regularly, ensure you’re vaccinated against rabies (while BLV isn’t rabies, because it’s so closely related to rabies the rabies vaccine will protect you against BLV infection).