DEAR ABBY: What makes you think that the wife who is "visiting" her friends at 2 a.m. might be hanging out with a colony of bats? No self-respecting bat is home at that time. During the night hours, they are hard at work ridding the world of hundreds of billions of bugs or pollinating millions of plants and trees.
Unlike some unhappy humans, bats don't have the luxury of too much time on their hands. A bat mom likes nothing so much as hanging out with her baby and all her other bat mom friends and their babies. There's no time for bat hanky-panky.
Please, Abby. Our friends the bats don't need more bad publicity, or to have their reputation endlessly maligned. Humans must realize that their fear of bats stems from ignorance. Instead of posing a threat, bats are highly beneficial to humans. The reality is that less than one person a year in the United States dies from bat rabies. That's minuscule compared to the number who die from bee stings, bicycle accidents, lightning strikes, drowning while swimming or spousal abuse.
I recommend bat education for all. -- BAT ADVOCATE IN SEATTLE
DEAR BAT ADVOCATE: (Now here's a topic we can sink our teeth into.) I respect your going to bat for your furry flying friends; however, when I questioned whether the wife was hanging out with a colony of bats, I was alluding to the fact that they are nocturnal creatures. I was not implying that they were promiscuous or poor mothers. Personally, I've never met a bat I haven't liked. If you were offended, please forgive me.