Following two confirmed incidents of people exposed to rabid bats in the Casper area, health department officials are on the alert.

Natrona County Health Department Director, Bob Harrington says in one case the bat was found in the dirt in an area where children play, "and because those children couldn't be certain whether or not they touched the bat one of the children is now undergoing post exposure treatment."

In the second case the bat was found inside the house.

"Interestingly, in a pile of laundry to be washed. Both of them were sent to the Wyoming Veterinary Lab and they confirmed that both bats had rabies."

Harrington says bats are known to be common carriers of rabies. Because bats have tiny teeth and are very small, it's not always possible to tell if you've been bitten or exposed to the saliva. He says the main things is that if you see a bat don't touch or try to catch it, rather, call metro animal control.

"They're vaccinated and they know how to deal with it."

He says the two incidents happened on opposite sides of town.

Rabid bats were also found recently in Sheridan and in Laramie County.  Harrington suggests the increased incidents might be due to seasonal migration and mating patterns.

 

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