Vampire bats are demonised and killed in large numbers for their role in rabies transmission. Understanding their ecology reveals more humane and effective management approaches than culling.
Vampire bat culling with anticoagulant paste causes slow death by haemorrhage in target bats and kills non-target species sharing roosts — including insectivorous bats providing valuable ecosystem services. The welfare harm of widespread anticoagulant use is significant, affecting entire roost communities over days. Beyond direct welfare harms, culling is ineffective as a rabies control strategy: survivor bats disperse and potentially spread rabies to new areas before colony recovery through reproduction. The ecological role of vampire bats — even as rabies vectors — involves interactions with prey species that have been part of Latin American ecosystems for millions of years. Targeted approaches including livestock vaccination, enhanced bat research, and development of bat-targeted oral vaccines offer welfare-superior and more effective alternatives to mass culling.