Bats Drive Moorpark Residents Batty

Bats are driving residents batty in Moorpark. The city says they have rabies and wants them gone, but they also want residents to be the ones to pay for the removal. Residents say they can't afford the extra cost.

A well tended neighborhood in Moorpark is not usually associated with bats.

But people who live there, who do not have bats in their belfry, do have bats in their roof tiles, and they're literally falling out and landing on their patios.

"After I freaked out with my boyfriend on the phone, and I was just crying," says Miriam Quintero, a Moorpark resident.

But it gets worse for Miriam. Her first encounter with the furry winged creatures was in her kitchen.

"It was just sitting behind the toaster," according to Quintero. "It was on the wall."

That bat was captured and tested, and was rabid. So now Miriam's dogs can't even go out into the yard.

"There are hundreds of them that come out at night," according to Quintero.

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Quintero and her boyfriend called the city, but the city said this was a homeowner issue, and the problem is for each resident to fix.

"From what I understand, we're looking at anywhere from $1,200 to $2,000 or more," says Quintero.

But Miriam says they will probably have no choice but to wait until the bats leave in August, and then fill up the gaps under the roof tiles to make sure it doesn't happen again next year.

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