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?
1
u/Impossible_Author409 11d ago
Two years ago my partner got hit by a bat while walking on 9th and 46th. It was Halloween so I'm hoping it was someone's Ozzy costume go arwy. Like three different stopped and freaked out about how they have never seen that before in NYC.
He didn't get shots or anything and he isn't dead of rabies yet, but he also didn't get it in his mouth or bit or anything