Handling or even coming into close contact with wild animals is a bad idea, as illustrated by a visitor to the Mineral Bar campground in the Auburn State Recreation Area, Calif., who found a bat and allowed other visitors, including children, to touch the animal.
The visitor took the bat to animal control the following day, and test results showed the bat was positive for rabies. Immediate medical treatment is recommended for anyone who had physical contact with the bat between Aug. 1 and Aug. 3, reported The Union.
California State Parks and the California Department of Public Health are advising visitors to Auburn State Recreation Area to seek immediate medical attention if they encountered a rabid bat earlier this month. “We’ve been in contact with several park visitors who handled the infected bat and they are already seeking treatment,” said Mike Howard, Auburn State Recreation Area Sector Superintendent for State Parks. “We are urging any park visitor who might have had physical contact with the bat at Mineral Bar Campground during those few days to seek medical attention as soon as possible.”
