Woman Finds Bat in Christmas Tree

[jonsdigs]

Woman Finds Bat in Christmas Tree
Dec 5, 7:42 AM EST

NIPOMO, Calif. (AP) -- Sheila Kearns had a Christmas tree delivered to her home on Sunday. She says she thought she'd been pricked by pine needles when she reached into the tree while decorating it. But the next morning, she found a bat hanging upside down in her home.

It turns out that the Christmas tree farm Kearns bought from keeps bats around for pest control and that one unwittingly hitched a ride to her home.

Animal control officials picked up the bat, which tested negative for rabies.

Kearns got a tetanus shot and some antibiotics, but says she's not fazed. She says she'll keep buying her trees from the same farm.

Information from: KKFX-TV Santa Maria/Michael Edgecomb

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[Brian Roebuck]

That's better than finding a dazed bat on your kitchen floor in the middle of winter one morning. Talk about waking up quickly! I guess he crept in from outside somehow and wintered in our log house somewhere. I knew mice get in places through tiny cracks but I never thought a bat could do the same.

[jonsdigs]

Bat won't bite into Christmas tree sales
The Lompoc Record
December 13, 2006
By Randi Block/Staff Writer


Mike McAndrew/Staff A Holloway Christmas Tree Farm employee brings out more trees Sunday for customers to buy. Despite rainy weather and the report of a bat coming out of a tree and biting a customer, people bought trees as fast as Holloway employees could cut them down.

It takes much more than a bat sighting to deter people from stopping at the Holloway Christmas Tree Farm in Nipomo.

Despite stormy weather and the recent wildlife encounter, sales were strong over the weekend, as the South Oakglen Avenue farm stayed full with Central Coast residents eager to pick out their holiday trees.

Last week, the Holloways' farm made local and national news when Arroyo Grande resident Sheila Kearns discovered a small bat that had hidden in the branches and made it into her home. While stringing lights on the branches, Kearns felt a prick on her wrist that turned out to be a bite from her unwelcome guest.

San Luis Obispo County Animal Control removed the bat and tested it for rabies, which came back negative.

Kearns' story received attention from media outlets across the country, and she said she spent two days fielding calls, including some from representatives of “Saturday Night Live” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

“I am very surprised by this reaction, and it really shows to me how small our world is and how quickly a story spreads across the world,” Kearns said.

Although she was asked to participate on both of those shows, Kearns said she declined the offers because of how worried the Holloways were about their farm and negative publicity.

When the story first broke, Carl Holloway expressed concerns that the story would damage his family business and reduce sales significantly.

On Sunday, he estimated he lost thousands of dollars in the first few days following the incident, but a farm employee said Monday that he was declining any additional interviews on the topic.

Dozens of people were not deterred by the bat story and flocked to the farm over the weekend, keeping the Holloways busy over the two days. Some people even said they chose the Holloway farm because of what happened.

Vincent Garcia of Santa Maria bought his tree Sunday afternoon and said he bought it after “shaking it real good” to make sure there weren't any stowaways.

In the 40 years Holloway's family has owned the farm, they have sold approximately 400,000 trees and only one other has made it to a customer's home with a bat. The animals occur naturally in the area and kill insects on the plants, Holloway said.

Photographer Mike McAndrew contributed to this story. Randi Block can be reached at 347-4580 or [e-mail].

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