Do bats carry rabies?
All animals can contract rabies. Bats are no exception. It has been found that bats that are sent in to be tested, that are suspected to have rabies are found to actually carry the disease in only 5-10% of cases. The actual incidence of bats having rabies is very rare, only about 0.5% found in bat populations.
Many people have serious misconceptions about bats. Perhaps one of the most popular of which is the belief that bats are vicious carriers of rabies. The fact is that bats are actually quite harmless, and do not exhibit any higher percentage of rabies infection than any other animal species. In fact, bats infected with rabies usually do not exhibit the aggressive behavior that often occurs with rabies infection in other animals. Rabies infection normally paralyzes the bat, so do not pick up a bat that may be lying on the ground without protective covering. If possible, it is recommended to have a pest removal specialist remove the potentially infected bat.
