Saint Lucia’s Forestry Department has said there are no confirmed records of vampire bats in Saint Lucia in response to concerns expressed by a Choiseul farmer.
Isha Frank Terrance explained that bats had been encircling her goat pen for three weeks.
She suspected the creatures to be vampire bats, explaining that they are about twice the size of ‘normal’ bats.
“They encircle the pen and when we chase them, they encircle us too,” she told St. Lucia Times.
Terrance said the creatures fly away once attempts are made to strike them but return the next day.
She disclosed that the bats had not harmed her goats because she constantly chased them away when they arrived at about 7:00 pm.
“The first week, there were like from five to six, and then when we tried to strike them, they flew away. The next day they came back with more,” the Choiseul farmer stated.
She said the number of the creatures had grown to about ten.
The Caffiere, Choiseul resident said she was eventually able to capture and kill one on Tuesday night, but the creatures did not appear the following day.
She expressed concern that the bats could attack, adding that she had never seen such creatures.
“Our local bats are not so big, strictly black. These, the back is black and the underbelly is yellow,” Terrance explained.
She indicated that she would seek official advice on dealing with the bat problem.
Assistant Chief Forestry Officer Pius Haynes told St. Lucia Times there are no confirmed records of vampire bats on the island.
“Vampire bats are found from northern Mexico through Central to South America,” Haynes explained.
He said the bats in Saint Lucia typically eat fruits, while others eat insects.
According to Haynes, the Greater Fishing Bat eats small fish, large insects, and small crustaceans.
He expressed that the species in the video shared by the Choiseul resident might likely be the Jamaican fruit bat.
The Forestry Department official stated that bats are wild animals that may potentially carry bacteria and viruses harmful to humans, although the infection risk is low.
Nevertheless, Haynes advised people who are unvaccinated and untrained not to handle the creatures.
