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Bat rescued from drowning at Shelley Lake tests positive for rabies
WRAL • • health
Key Points:
- A drowning bat rescued from Shelley Lake in Raleigh tested positive for rabies, marking the second rabid bat case in Raleigh this year and the third overall in the area.
- The bat died en route to a wildlife rehabilitator in Charlotte and was later tested for rabies after being returned to Raleigh; there was minimal contact between the bat and the people who tried to help it.
- Recent rabies concerns in North Carolina include four rabid goats linked to a traveling petting zoo in Durham County, resulting in over 100 possible human exposures.
- Health officials emphasize the low risk of rabies transmission to humans but stress the importance of caution due to the disease's lethality and lack of treatment after symptoms appear.
- Residents are advised to avoid contact with unknown animals, keep pets vaccinated, and follow safety measures to reduce rabies exposure, with local visitors expressing increased vigilance around wildlife.
