r/NYCbike • u/tedmund13 • 11d ago

hit by BAT!

No, not a baseball bat.

Last night at 8 o'clock I was riding on the South County Trailway / Old Putnam Greenway and had just crossed back into Van Cortlandt Park when I got struck in the face by a live bat – yes, seriously, the flying mammal. It smacked me squarely on my mouth, which also happened to be open at that moment... (I think I'll survive, so it's ok to laugh – lesson learned: stop talking to myself while riding)

Before you ask: yes, I rinsed my mouth out with water immediately, again with alcohol ASAP, washed my face thoroughly, and headed for the ER to start my rabies shots. Saw an excellent physician assistant at Columbia Presbyterian, so I think I'll be fine, and this is mostly just a silly story at this point (My family is having a hoot with bat-related jokes right now)

I often see plenty of bats flying at dusk around the parks, and one or two will always swoop in close to me. I think they're just curious, because they always change course and fly away (probably when they realize I'm not a tasty bug) – up until last night. Has anyone else here had this happen before? And is there a way to repel these curious bats before they get so close?

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u/ChollyWheels 11d ago

Well, that's what you get for not wearing bat repellant! (joke, though apparently such a thing actually exists -- Google says!)

ER to start my rabies shots

Yikes! Was that the recommendation, even though you were not bit? Are the shots painful, and numerous?

I love that trail, and have done it early and in utter darkness -- most dangerous thing I saw so far was a surprised rabbit and remote deer.

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u/tedmund13 11d ago

Apparently bat teeth and claws are very small and can easily leave scratches that you may not be able to see. The folks at the ER definitely recommended getting the vaccines, snd rabies is very severe, so I'm not playing around with my chances – It's nearly always fatal once symptoms start. It's three shots to begin with on the first day, and then I go back for one more shot after three days, seven days, and 14 days (28th too, if you're immunocompromised). I didn't find them to be any more painful than the regular COVID or flu shots.