What caused several bats to die suddenly, and whose job is it to
dispose of something like that? Two bats were discovered on the
Milford High School track last week by a Patch reader, who asked
whether it was the police or the animal control officer who
should be contacted. One bat was dead, the other one dying. Who
to call? It depends. If wildlife is on someone's private
property, the homeowner needs to handle it, including by calling
a nuisance wildlife company. Milford Animal Control can
intervene on a private property if an animal is rabid, and
people have been affected, but with dead wildlife in the
outdoors, the best solution is to leave it alone, said Rochelle
Thomson, the animal control officer. With the high school track
incident, Thomson responded to the call once she was on duty,
but by that time, the bats were gone, she said. No one is sure
what happened to them. But with bats, people need to take care.
Massachusetts has two species of bats, the little brown bat and
the big brown bat. They are sim