Reduced to a screaming girl [Archive] - Women's Cycling Discussion Forums

NoNo

06-15-2009, 06:00 AM

I'm normally a pretty tough girl, and with the exception of spiders, I can handle most of nature's creatures. Last night my family was over, and while watching tv, I saw something out of the corner of my eye go from the spare room (to the left of the tv) to the kitchen. Then it came out of the kitchen and over our heads: a bat!:eek: I live in a 3 family house, have never seen a bat in the neighborhood, and at no point noticed this thing flying in.

Well, I was reduced to shrieking and cowering in the fetal position every time it swooped over me. Finally, when it flew into the kitchen I made a break for the spare room, closed the door, and went into my bedroom through the connecting door. It was under the guise of looking for a blanket to catch it, but I was really hiding:p Herded my cat onto the porch so she was safe, and opened some windows and doors. After a while we don't see it, but no one saw it fly out the window, either. We start banging everything, poking around, checking every crevice. No sign of the bat.

Family leaves, and it's me and my cat on the couch. Try to unwind before going to bed. 10:30PM: fwap fwap fwap! NO!! Where did it come from?! How did we not find it? I jumped up, launching Ruthie from me. She jumps behind the couch, neglecting her feline hunting duties. I put a blanket over my head, grab my phone, and manage to open a window. Turn around, and now I don't see the cat. I don't want her jumping out the window, and I want to close off rooms to trap the bat. Jump onto the porch and close the door so I can keep an eye on the window and make some calls. Landlord was no use, he'll send a guy tomorrow (today). Dad says I'll be there, just hide. I venture back into the living room to look for Ruthie. She's hiding under the table, and won't come out. Move a chair, she jumps to another one, tried giving her treats, tried grabbing her, but now she's hissing at me:mad: So I locked myself into the spare room and left her to fend for herself. At this point, I haven't seen the bat for a few minutes, so I tried getting Ruthie again. Wasn't having it, she just kept jumping around, hiding behind the couch, under chairs, and continually hissing at me. Finally dad showed up, mom helped coral Ruthie, I packed a back, and got the hell out of there. I'm the type that doesn't sleep well if I see a spider but can't reach it to kill it, I'm sure as hell NOT sleeping in a house with a bat flying around!

Both times it hid, I saw it go towards the kitchen, so it's there or in the pantry. I sure hope that guy finds it today. If I have to stay over my parents, I'm fine with that. We leave for Italy Friday, that bat can starve the next two weeks!

tctrek

06-15-2009, 06:08 AM

I would be the same way!! As for your cat, she's just reacting to your fear. She can sense how afraid you are and she's smart enough to hide... even from you!!

I had a bat in my house 30 years ago. It was flying around buzzing our head. I whacked it with a broom and stunned it long enough that I could sweep it out the door. I watched it a minute and it flew away.

Don't know if he can live in your empty house for two weeks or not!

OakLeaf

06-15-2009, 06:19 AM

Awwww. Bats are so helpful, and so many species are struggling right now! But I don't like having any flying thing, bird or bat, in my house either. They get so freaked out trying to find their way out. :(

Flybye

06-15-2009, 07:15 AM

Sometimes they come in through the fireplace if the vent/damper/flue is left open.
My friend woke up and went to use the basement potty one morning. No glasses on her peepers just yet. She saw something on the INSIDE :eek: of the toilet rim. Retrieved her specs.......you guessed it - BAT!! She ended up netting it with her 3 year olds butterfly net :)
We have had one or two in the cabin from time to time. They are freaky because they don't fly in a predictable pattern. We have done the stun them with a broom thing and sweep them out the door.
Good luck!

NoNo

06-15-2009, 07:24 AM

No fireplace, and I'm on the first floor of a 3 family, so you'd think it'd be on the third floor. No broom, either:( When dad came back, he brought a broom with him, but the bat had gone back into hiding. I don't care that they're insectivores, that it's just scared and lost, I don't like it! There's something so scary, so gross about them, especially inside your living space.

Kalidurga

06-15-2009, 07:35 AM

I love bats. They eat the mosquitoes that would otherwise eat me.

Thorn

06-15-2009, 07:44 AM

Totally agree on the importance of bats to the environment, but please be careful when catching the bat. In some areas of the country, the prevelance of rabies in bats is very high (>50%).

Unlike a mouse (where the rabies rate is low to non-existance), a bat in the house isn't a nuisance, it can be very dangerous if you get accidentally bit.

BleeckerSt_Girl

06-15-2009, 07:50 AM

A bat came into our living room last year through the fireplace.
It was squeaking under the coffee table, with 3 cats watching cautiously but keeping their distance.
I just tossed a towel over it and gently picked it up, opened the towel outside and it flew off into the night. No screaming was involved, not even from the bat. :cool:

sfa

06-15-2009, 08:00 AM

I love bats--I like how they look all curled up when they are sleeping, and it makes me happy to see them flying around my backyard eating all the damn mosquitoes that plague me and make it nearly impossible to go outside all of late June and July. But I don't think I'd like one in my house. I've heard pool skimmers are good for catching them.

Good luck!

Sarah

wackyjacky1

06-15-2009, 08:12 AM

In one apartment that I lived in years ago, bats would come in through the air conditioning system that was located on the roof. The landlord finally blocked off whatever access point was there. But it's mighty creepy to see a bat crawl through an air conditoning vent while you're at the dinner table! We were able to catch that one in a towel and release it outside. I also found one during the day while I was vacuuming (same apartment). It was hiding behind a picture that I had leaning against the wall (I hadn't hung it up yet). I moved the picture to vacuum behind it and saw what I thought was a leaf on the floor. Being nearsighted, I got real close to see for sure what it was -- BAT! It was sleeping because it was daytime. I put a bucket over it, slid some cardboard underneath, and carried the whole thing outside. The darkness from being under the bucket woke it up, so it flew away once I let it go. I did not enjoy either experience at all!

Possegal

06-15-2009, 08:14 AM

My mother had one come into her apartment several times (well not sure it was the same one). Several times she called the local police who came and tried to get it out. One time successfully using an old paint can. That one had paint on its wing so we don't think it was always the same bat. Another time the cop wasn't successful and Mum said that everytime he opened a cabinet door or something, he'd scream if he thought he saw it. That alone was worth it to her, she got a good laugh. Another time I was home and my Uncle was visiting. Mum and I were screaming like idiots everytime we tried to venture out of her bedroom. My Uncle never came out of the room. Next morning we tell him the story, turns out he was awake and heard the screaming, but thought it was the neighbors. :)

I appreciate their importance, but I too do not want bats in my home. :) Neither did our cat.

Cataboo

06-15-2009, 08:31 AM

Bat populations are threatened enough with white nose bat disease lately.

These websites have suggestions that might help:
http://www.howtodothings.com/home-garden/how-to-get-a-bat-out-of-your-house

http://www.batconservation.org/content/Batproblems.html#batsflyinginhouse

I had an apartment in an old 1850's house once - the landlord was a bit of a slumlord and wasn't very good at maintaining or fixing anything (sweet man, but overworked). The bathroom ceiling was missing the light cover and a couple of the ceiling panels. One day I was taking a shower, and a bird burst out of the ceiling and started flying panicky around the bathroom.

I'm naked & soaking wet and completely freaked by the bird, of course run out of the shower & the bathroom & close the door to trap the bird in there. I turned off all the lights in the place, covered all the windows (and myself!), opened the front door to the apartment, turned on the lights in the stairwell & hallway, opened all those windows & the front door...

And then opened the door to let the bird out of the bathroom - it thankfully followed the light out into the hallway...

At which point, I locked up and went back to taking a shower figuring the bird had several ways out and would manage.

the landlord laughed when he heard the story & told me all about how birds were a good omen and something great was going to happen to me...

Guess what happens a week later?

Another bird flies out of the bathroom ceiling....

I was not amused at my continuing good fortune.

nolemom

06-15-2009, 08:47 AM

NoNo

06-15-2009, 09:18 AM

When I was expecting my first child, I went a little crazy with the advance preparations. I had the entire nursery set up months before the due date. A bat got into the house and went straight for the nursery. The bat seemed to be hypnotized by the ceiling fan and proceeded to go round and round. As my husband attempted to get him down with a broom, the bat began to spew bat poop all over the room. It splattered the crib, bassinet, all four walls, etc. I finally understood the term going bat#&IT on someone - I probably sounded like a crazy woman when I called the landlord.

I'm very curious as to where it's hanging out and whether there will be a pile of poo waiting for me when I come back. The thought of disease, rabies or otherwise, was definitely a concern, and one of the main reasons I was trying to corral my cat into a safe place.

Landlord called this morning singing the Batman theme:rolleyes: He said he'll call his guy, but he has no idea how to get this thing to come out. He said maybe there's some kind of trap that can be set to catch it. I told him they can come tonight when it would be out if they wanted, I certainly wouldn't be there!

GLC1968

06-15-2009, 10:03 AM

I've had a bat or two in most of the houses I've ever lived in! A tennis raquet is a really good tool for stunning them (better swing than you get with a broom). ;)

Here's a freaky story that may make you feel better about a single bat.

When I lived in the Poconos, I was renting an old house. I moved there in Feb and the first weekend we had a major snow storm. I could feel cold air coming in and discovered that some of the attic windows were missing. My boyfriend went to investigate and found that some of them had blown in because none of them were installed correctly. He fixed all the windows and then mentioned in passing the mounds and mounds of bat crap up there. I didn't give it a second thought - it's an old house.

Fast forward a couple of months and I'm sitting outside with my dog at dusk. I was just relaxing on a little grassy hill while she explored when I happened to notice she was staring at the house. I follow her eyes to see what she is looking at and I see bat after bat after bat exiting the attic under the eaves. We must have made quite the picture, the two of us staring in awe with our jaws dropped! I stopped counting bats when I got to 67 and they kept coming for quite some time after that. There must have been hundreds living in my attic! I supposed it could have freaked me out, but I figured that I'd been there two months already and they didn't bother me so I figured they were pretty good roommates. :p

Of course, I moved out when the hot water heater exploded and the heating oil started leaching out of the tank into the ground. Talk about the money pit! I will never forget watching all those bats come pouring out of my home though...that's an image that stays with a person!

Aggie_Ama

06-15-2009, 10:17 AM

Have your landlord check if there is an urban wildlife specialist he can call. They specialize in catching critters like your problem. I am terrified of bats with my animals because of the rabies and they are so fast! Is your cat up to date? Even if it isn't rabid bat guano is stinky so I would want it gone!

Zen

06-15-2009, 10:49 AM

Herded my cat onto the porch so she was safe,

What did you think the little bat was going to do? Swoop in and snatch her up? Latch on to her jugular, suck her blood and turn her into a vampire? :D

NoNo

06-15-2009, 10:54 AM

What did you think the little bat was going to do? Swoop in and snatch her up? Latch on to her jugular, suck her blood and turn her into a vampire? :D

I have no way of knowing if this thing is carrying any kind of disease, and with all the doors and windows open, I didn't want my baby running out. Also one less thing for us to dodge.

Zen

06-15-2009, 11:06 AM

9450

Tuckervill

06-15-2009, 11:10 AM

No worries about rabies if your cat is vaccinated.

I think it'd be pretty cool to have a bat in the house. We've had plenty of birds, some brought in by the cats and some find their way in alone. I think a bat would go outside at night if you turned on every single light in the house and opened the doors to the darkness. Same with birds, only opposite. At aviaries, they keep the birds in open cages by using a "curtain of darkness". The birds rarely fly into where the humans are because it's dark in there.

I had a little squirrel in my empty pool the other day! Put the ladder back in and he high-tailed it out of there!

Karen

withm

06-15-2009, 02:02 PM

Growing up I lived in a house where bats inside were a regular occurence in most of the houses on the street one summer. The preferred method was to swat them with a tennis racket, or even better, with (groan)a bat-minton (LOL) racket. Actually the latter being lighter made for a better tool. The impact would stun the bat, and it could quickly be scooped up into a wastebasket, and set free outside.

I remember one summer when my Dad removed a sign from the house that had our name and house number, and bats flew out from behind it for some time. Hundreds probably.

tctrek

06-15-2009, 02:09 PM

As I think back on the time 30 years ago when I had a bat in my house and stunned it with a broom, I recalled some other details... it was Christmas and the tree was up. My daughter had gotten a Suzy Homemaker housekeeping set... I'll admit I wanted my 6 year old to start thinking about cleaning house with me :o Anyway, I grabbed the little pink Suzy Homemaker broom and swung it over my head to keep the bat off my head. LOL... I was kinda panic'd. I hit it and it landed in a living room chair and squirmed down into the cushions. We could hear it in there making a loud buzzing sound like a big bumble bee. We picked up the entire chair and took it outside and whipped off the cushions and watched him fly away.

Amazing, I can't remember what I ate for breakfast, but that day from 30 years ago is clear as a bell!!

TsPoet

06-15-2009, 02:24 PM

Growing up I lived in a house where bats inside were a regular occurence in most of the houses on the street one summer. The preferred method was to swat them with a tennis racket, or even better, with (groan)a bat-minton (LOL) racket. Actually the latter being lighter made for a better tool. The impact would stun the bat, and it could quickly be scooped up into a wastebasket, and set free outside.

Growing up in Santa Fe, we would get bats in the house a couple of times/year. We'd just catch it in a bird net and let it go outside.
Bats are good, they eat insects.
You can buy a bird net at a petstore.

andtckrtoo

06-15-2009, 02:46 PM

Oh, this is making me laugh. My parents had just moved into their post and beam house in Huntingdon, PA when I came home from college for a visit. I was sleeping in my room when I felt something in my hair. I sat up suddenly and heard a whoosh, whoosh, but couldn't figure it out. I was about to ignore it and go back to sleep when I heard a commotion downstairs. I got up and checked it out - the two cats where having a field day chasing after a bat! So, of course, being the brave, independent woman that I am, I ran upstairs and woke up my dad.

I will forever have burned into my memory the sight of my poor, loving father, running around in garden gloves, a big ole crab net and his tighty whities, chasing after this bat like some kind of demented super hero. He did catch it and let it outside to fly free. We eventually found a small hole in the foundation where the bat got in (they can squeeze in a spot less than 2 inches wide) and filled it in and never had another bat visitor.

Zen

06-15-2009, 05:08 PM

I can't decide which is more hilarious, this one-

I grabbed the little pink Suzy Homemaker broom and swung it over my head to keep the bat off my head.
Amazing, I can't remember what I ate for breakfast, but that day from 30 years ago is clear as a bell!!
or this one-

I will forever have burned into my memory the sight of my poor, loving father, running around in garden gloves, a big ole crab net and his tighty whities, chasing after this bat like some kind of demented super hero.

:D :D :D

Iris616

06-15-2009, 05:20 PM

I needed a good laugh tonight! Thanks.

TsPoet

06-15-2009, 07:05 PM

I needed a good laugh tonight! Thanks.

I can't remember who originally posted this.
I think her bra size is more amazing than that there was a bat in it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/norfolk/7496923.stm

Biciclista

06-15-2009, 08:37 PM

you guys are a riot.
people who react like that to bats (or snakes, or cats, or mice, or spiders)
aren't going to change just because we tell them rational things. this kind of fear is irrational.
But i really hope the guy finds the poor thing before it dies.

kenyonchris

06-15-2009, 09:19 PM

well, you could always to what a lot of people do when they have an unwanted critter....call the police. I don't know what people expect of me...to handcuff the little critter? Or wingcuff him? I can't SHOOT him, for heaven's sake.
My city is pretty urban, but we do have some cows. I would rather deal with the bat than with cows. They smell fear (and yes, I am a horse person...horses I am in, cows, I am out) and capitalize upon it. I got called to some escaped cows and arrived to find about four of the big bovines wandering amongst a neighborhood. It seems that someone installing a pool had removed the back fence that kept a pasture full of cows contained. The cows found the entrance to the neighborhood and made a break for it. I attempted to shoo the cows back through the opening (they were about two houses down) but only managed to move them onto the neighbor's front porch, where they amused themselves by alternately peeking in the windows and eating from the planters. I felt I had to do something, so I took out my ASP baton, shook it at them, and said, "Ya'll git." in my best Texas accent, so that maybe they would be fooled. They weren't. They led me on a chase of about three square miles that included a schoolyard, a library, and an Old Folks' home in addition to the neighborhood. The guys on my shift gleefully listened to my radio traffic, "Uh, central, I need a little backup here, the cattle are now hightailing it south toward Main Street..." before finally coming to lend me a hand.
Give me a bat any day.

salsabike

06-15-2009, 09:30 PM

Love that story, Chris. "Ya'll GIT."

NoNo

06-16-2009, 05:11 AM

I know damn well my fear is irrational (and I'm also arachnaphobic). I had no idea I was so petrified of bats since I'd never really encountered them up-close before. I don't know why, but that thing swooping around my living room just made me shut down. Landlord's guy never called him back, so tonight I told dad we're going back and taking care of this. We're leaving for Italy Friday and I haven't started packing yet! I need access to my house.

Next issue: rabies. Sure, the percentage is quite small that this thing has rabies. But should we trap it and get it tested? Now dad is telling me to call my doctor and see if they think I should be tested, in which case we'd have to cancel the trip. He's a hypochondriac, common sense has no place when it comes to medical issues. Should I just lie and say I called my doctor and they said I didn't need to be tested? He's also threatened to cancel the trip because of the AirFrance crash and the swine flu, so if I could ease one of his concerns......:rolleyes:

Biciclista

06-16-2009, 05:50 AM

they don't test you for rabies, they give you a set of really nasty shots.
that bat didn't come anywhere near you. I think you ought to just go and tell your dad to take a chill pill.

Tuckervill

06-16-2009, 06:03 AM

You have to be bitten and blood drawn to get rabies. It's not a virus that just floats in the air. It can take a couple of months from first infection for it to get into your nervous system, so you should be good for your trip to Italy. ;)

Karen

redrhodie

06-16-2009, 06:13 AM

One of my earliest memories is of my brother waking me up in the middle of the night, totally panicked, putting a blanket over my head, and carrying me out of our bedroom. It made an awful impression on me, and I'm still afraid of bats. We got many in our creepy old Victorian house, once even in the dead of winter. I never felt at ease there on a summer night.

Heifzilla

06-16-2009, 09:56 AM

In my county, we are required to have animal control catch the bat and turn it in for rabies testing. Problem is this: if there is a bat in your house, there is a possibilty it may have bitten you while you were sleeping, etc. and you'd probably never know it. I know this seems paranoid but rabies is fatal and we have a very large percentage of rabid bats here. So the idea is better safe than sorry.

Tuckervill

06-16-2009, 11:23 AM

Uh, I think little bat fangs would hurt enough that I would KNOW that I was bitten. They don't just randomly bite people. They're looking for bugs. I guess if I were covered in bugs....

Karen

Cataboo

06-16-2009, 11:24 AM

I think they act a little bit weird and aggressive when rabid and bite more than normal bats.

And my little brother could definitely sleep through a bat bite... Or an earth quake.

Heifzilla

06-16-2009, 11:41 AM

Uh, I think little bat fangs would hurt enough that I would KNOW that I was bitten. They don't just randomly bite people. They're looking for bugs. I guess if I were covered in bugs....

Karen

When you're asleep you wouldn't feel it. That's why vampire bats are so successful at what they do. ;)

A rabid bat (or any rabid animal for that matter) does not act like a normal animal, and will bite randomly. When the rabies starts to affect the animal, rabid animals will approach people when they normally would not, act friendly, or attack randomly. So, yes, it is a real threat.

I love bats and would hate to see one killed for no reason, but when it comes to rabies I am a wee bit paranoid.

NoNo

06-16-2009, 12:38 PM

Update! Called the landlord and he went to look again. Was moving things around in the kitchen when he heard a chirping noise. Saw the bat on the floor. I'm guessing after two days without food and water, it was dying. In the meantime, I had called animal control and asked what their policy was for bats in the house. She said it has to be tested if it's been in living quarters. I also had to call the health department and arrange to get it shipped to Hartford for rabies testing. Called my landlord back and he said it's out of his hands now. He also mocked the "public health threat" the bat posed. Obviously, he's just worried about how this might affect his wallet:rolleyes: So I called the health department, told them he wouldn't deal with it, what do I have to do? They can't take it alive (he had put it in a plastic bag and placed that in a cooler that was outside). Ok, how do I, uh, take care of it? They need to test the brain, so do go cracking it's skull. Either a hose to your tailpipe or freezing it is preferred. So I get to put this little bugger next to my hot dogs till tomorrow morning:eek: The good news is that the rabies results will be back usually within 24 hours, definitely some time Thursday, so I'd know before the trip. The bad news is I have to eat the cost of sending it to the lab, at least $100, because my landlord won't do his job:mad:

Edit: All the things I read said that if you're sleeping you most likely wouldn't know you had been bitten because the fangs and claws are so tiny. It is also standard procedure that any bat that's been around a child or intoxicated person needs to be tested. The child might lie because they don't want to get in trouble or don't realize how serious getting sick would be, and the drunk person wouldn't feel it.

Kimmyt

06-16-2009, 03:13 PM

Do you have anywhere you can buy dry ice? Just put some dry ice in a cooler or something and put the carcass in there overnight.

Zen

06-16-2009, 09:52 PM

It's his property and his responsibility. if the health department requires the testing can't they bill him?
He'd better find out how it got in or else lose a tenant and possibly face other legal problems.
Something along the lines of endangering the health of a tenant.

NoNo

06-17-2009, 06:48 AM

I'm not sure where this falls in my lease. I know he's said if I have to buy something for the house, I can take it out of my rent. I don't know why this wouldn't fall under pest control, which is part of the lease, but he seemed very unconcerned about the whole thing. I foresee an uphill battle trying to get reimbursed for the test, let alone trying to convince him to get the house inspected. I really, really love the house and the location, I don't want to move. I'm hoping this was just an isolated incident with a wayward bat that somehow got in without my noticing.

Speaking of Mr. Bat, he was dropped off at the health department this morning. I had to fill out a very confusing rabies exposure form mainly because we don't know how long the bat was actually in the house. I know nobody came in contact with it Sunday, but I guess it's possible it could have been in there earlier than that, while I was sleeping. Results back possibly this afternoon, most likely tomorrow. I'm fairly certain everything will be fine. At least my house got a good cleaning last night!

Heifzilla

06-17-2009, 07:04 AM

Results back possibly this afternoon, most likely tomorrow. I'm fairly certain everything will be fine. At least my house got a good cleaning last night!

Fingers crossed, otherwise you will be required to get the shots :( They're fairly expensive, and I think there is a series of five. They give them in the arm or thigh now. I believe most health insurance policies are required to cover them, too.

I know it seems like a total pain in the rear, but this is one virus you don't want to take chances with.

Aggie_Ama

06-17-2009, 08:55 AM

According to my friend who is a vet, only two humans have lived with rabies and both are pretty much brain dead. I don't know how accurate that is but that is what he learned in vet school, he has been out 2 years. If you are concerned get the shots. He had them for vet school and did get sick but hey sick is better than death.

I don't think you need to be completely freaked out but you can err on the side of caution.

On a side note, I watched a documentary about humans fear response. It said it is actually a deep rooted response from our ancestors who know the things we fear are dangerous. Hey, I hate snakes and will have a response to any snake. Not a bad thing if you live in rattlesnake country. I know what to do and I am hoping to never have to face one.;)

Kano

06-17-2009, 07:24 PM

I remember coming home to a bat in the house one night -- FIRST we saw the cat acting TOTALLY crazy -- leaping and twisting around the living room, then we saw what he was leaping at! Whacked the bat with a badminton racket and put him out, then had a repeat performance the next night. Found the "hole" in the house and put an end to the batty cat antics!

Karen in Boise

IvonaDestroi

06-17-2009, 07:40 PM

C'mon... You've got to admit.... they are just a LITTLE bit cute arn't they?

http://fireflyforest.net/images/firefly/2007/February/Lesser-Long-nosed-Bat-3.jpg

salsabike

06-17-2009, 11:35 PM

According to my friend who is a vet, only two humans have lived with rabies and both are pretty much brain dead.

I saw one of those survivors many years ago when I did part of my school psych internship in the neuropsych department of a rehab hospital. It was very distressing to see and I have never forgotten it. I love bats, but I would do whatever is advised by the public health folks in response to this. You're lucky, really, that they have the bat to test.

And about phobias--they by definition aren't rational and almost everyone I've ever met has SOME phobia. Part of the human condition.

NoNo

06-18-2009, 05:49 AM

You're lucky, really, that they have the bat to test.

From the sounds of it, there would be a lot more samples if people didn't just shoo them out windows. Besides the rabies, I think it's good to provide a sample so they can see what's going on in the local population. Still waiting for the test results....

And about phobias--they by definition aren't rational and almost everyone I've ever met has SOME phobia. Part of the human condition.

I wonder why people have different phobias. Why aren't we conditioned to fear the same thing? Maybe something to do with where your original ancestors came from and the dangers that were present in that area? That would be interesting to study.