Hi everyone! I emailed the DNR with a copy of the petition, the signatures, and some information on why it is so important that bat rehab is legalized in Michigan. I am hoping to get a response or at least get their attention for if we gain more traction in the future.
To those of you who are curious, I wrote:
Hello,
I have been trying to raise awareness about the importance of bats, as well as the necessity of bat rehabbers in Michigan. I understand the concern with RVS species, but I believe that it puts the public at more risk by not having reputable, specially trained and certified wildlife handlers who are able to care for bats and remove them from situations near people where they are often found when injured or ill (in houses, low to the ground, and near untrained people who often want to help, or are so fearful they end up hurting the bat more). This puts both the bat and the human at risk of injury, when this could easily be fixed by legalizing bat rehab and allowing professionals to handle the situation with the proper equipment, as well as requiring rabies pre-exposure vaccines for safety.
I have pasted the link to the petition I created where I have been gathering signatures of individuals who feel the same way as me, and there are some more resources from larger groups like Bat World Sanctuary in Texas, speaking on the importance of legalizing this type of rehab in Michigan.
There is also an excel spreadsheet of all of the current signatures to date, as well as any comments on the petition. This petition is not even two weeks old and there are almost 150 people who are in agreement that it is necessary to legalize bat rehab in Michigan. The hope is to gain more signatures, and eventually prove to the DNR that this is something that is worthwhile to reconsider the current laws surrounding bat and other RVS species rehabbing.
If there is a contact better suited for this type of message, please feel free to pass it along.
I appreciate your time and consideration.
*I then signed my name, added the petition link, and attached the excel spreadsheet.
I will update you if I receive any response from the DNR.
If you have any inquiries regarding Michigan wildlife, you can reach them via email at DNR-Wildlife@michigan.gov or by calling (517)284-9453.
Thank you for everyone's help thus far-- none of this is possible without you! :)