Many species of bats are currently endangered due to land development and destruction of native habitats. Furthermore, many overestimate the risks bat populations pose to humans. While bats are capable of being infected with and transmitting rabies, the species of bats likely to populate human-inhabited areas have transmitted a total of eight cases of rabies to humans since 1951.
In fact, the CDC reports that only one to three cases of human rabies total are reported annually in the United States, including transmission from other animals like racoons and dogs. Chances of harm from bats are exceptionally low, while over 2,500 U.S. cases of West Nile virus transmitted to humans from mosquitoes were recorded in 2018 alone.