Rabid animal control method

Abstract

A method is disclosed for luring attack-prone, rabies-infected mammals (e.g., carnivores, bats) into restraint and/or euthanasia but not luring normal, uninfected animals.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A method of attracting rabies-infected mammals, comprising: 
 providing a source of nonbiological sound which assaults the auditory hyperesthesia of said rabies-infected mammals but not healthy rabies-free mammals and which attracts said rabies-infected mammals to said source of nonbiological sound; and    capturing said rabies-infected mammals attracted to said source of nonbiological sound.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the rabies infected mammals are carnivores, Order Carnivora.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the rabies-infected mammals are bats, Order Chiroptera.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the nonbiological sound is inaudible by man.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the nonbiological sound is continuous without interruption.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the nonbiological sound is produced in short bursts of about one-third second duration, separated by equal periods of silence.  
     
     
         7 . An apparatus for luring attack-prone, rabies-infected bats into restraint but not luring normal, uninfected bats, comprising: 
 a frame having a series of taut vertical wires therein;    a nonbiological sound source mounted behind and facing said wires which assaults the auditory hyperesthesia of said rabies-infected bats; and    a smooth-sided hopper below said frame;    whereby the rabies-infected bats attack said nonbiological sound source, encounter the wires, and slide down said wires into said hopper.    
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein a cage is below said hopper so that the rabies-infected bats after encountering said wires slide down said wires into said hopper into said cage.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said wires are too fine for the rabies-infected bats to detect with their sonar system.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the wires are spaced about one inch apart.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the nonbiological sound source is above 16 kHz.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein two or more such traps are used in tandem.  
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein two or more sets of wires are used in tandem, separated by one to three inches.  
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein the vertical wires are plastic lines.