Marty’s photo of the day #4698: Last week, while talking with a pharmacist about my upcoming trip to New Guinea and the long list of vaccinations the CDC recommends for travel there, we discussed a pre-exposure rabies shot. He said, “That’s only necessary if you’re going to be in a cave full of bats.” I replied, “I’ll definitely be in a cave full of bats, and it won’t be the first time.”

This photo shows the first time. While working on my second book, Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico, my wife and I got permission to visit a very special bat cave in Puerto Rico. Look near the bottom of the photo, and you will see a Puerto Rican boa hunting the bats.

During that adventure, I slipped on the wet rocks, bloodied my shin, and ended up filthy with a mixture of mud and bat guano. But no rabies. As for New Guinea? I’ve decided to pass on the pre-exposure rabies shot and am instead limiting medications to anti-malaria, MMR, and, possibly, yellow fever.