Bat bites on the rise in Czechia as migration season begins

Doctors and animal rescuers are reporting an unusual increase in people bitten by bats in Czechia this summer, just as the animals enter their annual migration period.

Doctors at Pilsen University Hospital have already vaccinated eight people against rabies after bat bites this year, compared with two cases last year. Doctors in Ostrava have recorded another 15 people bitten since June, all of whom received preventive vaccination.

Most of the incidents happened after bats flew into homes or other buildings and people tried to catch them. Animal rescuers have also encountered people picking up bats found on sidewalks or handling them without gloves.

The timing is not a coincidence. Bat migration season runs roughly from mid-August to mid-September, according to Czech conservationists, and Pilsen is a particular hotspot. Hundreds or even thousands of migrating whistling bats can pass through the city during this period, with groups sometimes entering apartments, offices and other buildings.

Karel Makoň, head of the Pilsen animal rescue station, described the number of recent incidents as unusual and expects more in the coming weeks.

“The bat is shy, it won't attack you. Prevention is the most important thing,” he said.

Conservationists are particularly warning Pilsen residents about evening ventilation. Warm August nights mean people naturally open windows, but illuminated apartments can attract bats chasing insects. Groups of young bats can then end up inside.

The simplest solution is to install window screens, particularly during the migration period, and avoid leaving windows open in shared corridors or while away on vacation.

If a healthy bat flies into your apartment, don't try to catch it. Turn off the lights, open the windows and curtains, leave the room and give it time to fly out.

If you need to handle one, never use your bare hands. Use gloves and place the bat in a ventilated cardboard box with a piece of cloth for shelter. An injured bat or one that cannot fly away should be taken to a rescue station.

Bats are generally harmless and are an important predator of flying insects. The species most commonly found inside Czech homes during summer is the whistling bat, one of the country's smallest bat species.

Czechia is free of rabies, but bats are the only known carriers of the virus in the country. The last confirmed case was two years ago, when a zoologist in Ostrava contracted the infection after being bitten by a bat.

The increase in bites does not mean bats are becoming more aggressive. Rather, experts say, more bats and more human contact create more opportunities for accidents.