Wayne State University Alumni News
Summer 2008
By Sydney Redigan Public Affairs Writer
Dave Kugler, MSHWM’02, was in the process of applying to Wayne State’s graduate school when his work brought him to the home of the future dean. The animal control company Kugler worked for received a call that Ralph Kummler, then director of the Hazardous Waste Management Program at the College of Engineering, needed help removing bats from his attic.
Kugler seized the opportunity: “While he was asking questions about the habits of bats, I was inquiring about Wayne's environmental engineering program,” Kugler says. “It was a great way for me to break the ice prior to starting the program.”
As an undergraduate in biology at Oakland University, Kugler worked part–time for A&D Animal Control in Oakland County. “I really enjoyed the work and I wanted to eventually start my own business.”
Kugler’s dream was finally realized in 2005 when he founded Critter Catchers, Inc. after working in the environmental, health and safety field for more than a decade. Critter Catchers, Inc. provides animal removal services in Southeastern Michigan, specializing in humane bat removal.
One of the most important things Kugler has learned from the business is that nature is unpredictable and so flexibility is essential. “Our business is cyclical, the number and type of animals we encounter depend on the time of year,” says Kugler. Individual homes may have anywhere from 30 to 200 bats, and the number of squirrels, raccoons, groundhogs and skunks changes with the seasons.
Recently, the company received a call from a couple who found a bat in their child’s crib. “We try to prioritize based upon the nature of the job,” says Kugler. “Luckily most customers understand the dynamics of our business and can relate to the young couple faced with a bat in the crib.”
Based in Ortonville, Critter Catchers is the only bat exclusion company affiliated with the Organization for Bat Conservation (OBC), a non-profit based at the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, whose mission is to preserve bats and their habitats through education, collaboration, and research.
Kugler considers bat education to be a large part of his company’s responsibility, and makes great efforts to dispel common misconceptions about the creatures and to emphasize their environmental importance.
“Humans instinctively fear the things in our world we don’t understand,” he says. “And bats, unfortunately, seem to land at the top of that list, regardless of the many benefits they provide, like insect control around the home and garden.” Kugler adds that Michigan's Brown Bats are tremendous insect eaters, consuming half their bodyweight in insects each night. Bat colonies, which may contain up to 300 bats, provide a completely natural way to reduce the use of pesticides.
The company’s website, # bats, serves as a useful educational tool, providing ample information on the environmental benefits of bats and the myths surrounding them. For example, Michigan bats do not suck blood. It is estimated that less than one percent of bats have rabies (bats are not carriers and so those few who contract it usually die soon after). And the bats that populate Michigan do not eat fruit, only flies and insects.
Dispelling these myths is crucial for the future of bats. Six species in North America have already become endangered, often from the destruction of trees and other natural roosts, and the deliberate killing of the creatures. Learning that bats are not destructive, but actually beneficial may change the way many people think of and treat them.
In addition to the educational efforts made through the website, Critter Catchers offers a $1,000 grant to let the OBC offer supplemental funding toward its Live Bat programs, which give young students and educators an invaluable learning experience.
"Children have a keen interest in hands-on science, and the Organization for Bat Conservation's live programs provide an opportunity to foster an interest in bat conservation at an early age," says Kugler.
For college-level students who have already cultivated an interest in the animals, Critter Catchers created a Bat Conservation Scholarship. Started in 2007, the scholarship is available to students from Indiana State University (ISU) and six Michigan universities, including Wayne State, which have research programs linked to the research associates of the Indiana State University Bat Center.
“The ISU bat center consists of the largest group of bat biologists in North America,” says Kugler. "The scholarship is a way for Critter Catchers to support the center and participate in the expansion of our understanding of many of the bats that are common in the Midwest."
If the first three years of Critter Catchers are an indication, Kugler will be very busy. He is now considering adding another vehicle to the fleet to better meet the needs of a growing customer base.
While the transition from hazardous waste management and environmental engineering to critter control and bat conservation may appear extreme, the two areas can be viewed as very much related. Both require a thorough understanding of the ways in which systems work and the importance of all the parts.
“Bats are important to the ecosystem,” says Kugler. “They have many environmental benefits, such as reducing pesticide use. Reduce, reuse and recycle – that’s my environmental engineering side showing through!”