While relaxing on a Saturday evening a few weeks ago my cat alearted me to a bat that was in the house! I live in a rual part of Arizona in the mountains and it is not unusual to see bats flying around at night. I didn't get too excited that the bat was in the house, I just wanted it out! While the cat chased the creature around and around the living room I went out to get a scoop net that I use for fishing. When I returned the cat and the bat were still going around the room and on my first swipe I caught the bat in my net and pinned it too the floor with the rim of the net. My wife came into the room and asked me what all the comotion was about and I asked for a leather glove which she handed to me. Using the glove I picked the bat up and took it out to the front porch. When I tried to let it go it didn't take off. I figured it may have been hurt when I pinned it to the floor. Then I remembered what my neighbor had said about bats in your house. "You should bring them to the county health department for testing". I proceeded to dispatch the creature trying not to damage the brain as that is what is used for testing. I put it's body into a large plastic zip-lock bag and Monday morning took the bag to the health department. Wednesday they called me with the news that the bat was positive for rabies! My entire family has to get the rabies shots!
If you are in a house and a bat flies in, chances are it is not thinking right because of rabies. If a bat is in daylight it probably has rabies. If a bat is walking and not flying it probably has rabies.
In 2006 there were 3 people in the US who contracted rabies. Persons in Texas and California were infected by bats. The third person in Indiana was exposed to a rabid dog in the Philipines. Rabies is almost always fatal. A century ago there were about 100 people per years who died of rabies in the United States.
Rabies was reported in 49 states and Puerto Rico (Hawaii is the only rabies-free state), 6,940 animals were tested positive in 2006. 92% wild animals, 8% domestic. 2,615 raccoons, 1,692 bats, 1,494 skunks, 427 foxes, 318 cats, 82 cattle, and 79 dogs.
Comments(3)