Rhode Island health officials are warning the public that a bat at a local zoo may have been infected with rabies.
Guests at the Roger Williams Park Zoo on August 24 noticed a bat acting erratically in the water play area
The Providence zoo’s veterinarian informed health officials about the incident on Friday, noting that the incident was “considered to be a low risk of human exposure”, the bat was safely discarded, and the animal wasn’t seen before August 24.
The Rhode Island Department of Health is asking that anyone who had contact with a bat in the zoo on or before August contact health officials. Health officials add that bat bites may not be easily seen.
Last week, the CDC warned of an uptick in rabies cases nationwide. Rhode Island has reported an increased number of rabid animals. Although most of the rapid animals were raccoons and bats, a rabid cat, coyote, skunk, and woodchuck all been found in the Ocean State this year.
The RIDOH provided the following rabies safety tips:
RIDOH recommends the following to prevent rabies:
- Make sure all dogs, cats, and ferrets are up to date on rabies vaccination.
- Avoid all contact with and do not feed stray or free-roaming domestic animals.
- Avoid all contact with and do not feed wild animals.
- Do not feed your animals outdoors, as this will attract other animals. This is especially dangerous when feeding large numbers of free-roaming cats.
- Protect your pets by always maintaining control; walk dogs on a leash or let them play in a fenced yard, and do not let pets wander unsupervised.
- Report all animal bites to your city/town’s animal control officer.
- Securely cover all garbage cans so wild animals cannot scavenge for food.
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