Bat found near Community Park School playground in Princeton tests positive for rabies

A bat found on the ground near the Community Park School playground this week has tested positive for rabies, local officials said.

At about 9 a.m. on July 9, a staff member for the Princeton Recreation Department observed a brown bat alive and moving on the ground near the Community Park
School Playground.

Princeton Animal Control Officer Jim Ferry captured the bat and sent it to the New Jersey Public Health and Environmental Laboratory for testing.

On Wednesday, July 10, the bat tested positive for rabies.

It does not appear that any humans were exposed to the bat. Anyone who may have been in physical contact with this bat should notify the Princeton Health Department for guidance and seek medical treatment.

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that can be prevented by avoiding contact with rabid animals. If a person has been exposed to an animal with the virus, getting vaccinated right away can prevent disease. Rabies can be spread from the bite or scratch of a rabid animal, or when the animal’s saliva contacts a person’s mouth, eyes, or an open sore.

Rabies poses a real threat, especially to unvaccinated domestic animals. Pet owners should ensure that their animals are up to date with rabies vaccinations.

Rabies occurs throughout New Jersey, including Princeton. Skunks, foxes, raccoons, groundhogs, bats, and unvaccinated domestic animals can also develop rabies.

In Princeton, about three to six animals per year test positive for rabies. Human rabies cases in the United States are rare.

Behavioral signs of rabid animals, wild or domestic, may include staggering, restlessness,
aggression, a change in the tone of their barks or growls, or choking. Rabid Animals that may initially appear passive or docile can quickly become fierce and aggressive. If a nocturnal animal is active during the day, as in the case of this bat, that is also a sign of rabidity.

If you or a loved one are bitten or scratched by an unfamiliar animal or an animal suspected of having rabies, immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water, then seek medical attention.

Ask your medical provider to report and coordinate with the Princeton Health Department. Not all exposures require post-exposure treatment. Health Department and Animal Control staff will work to locate, capture, and test suspected animals to definitively determine if
the animal is infectious. Reporting bites is a legal obligation if you have been exposed or are a medical professional, in order to protect the public.

Take these steps to protect your family and pets from rabies:

• Make sure your pets are up to date on their rabies vaccinations.
• Keep children and pets from approaching or touching wild or strange animals.
• Make sure that any openings to your home such as crawl spaces, chimneys, attics, porches or garages are sealed or covered with thick wire screens to prevent entry by wild animals.
• Discourage wild animal foraging by not leaving pet food outside and by securing garbage cans.
• Avoid feeding, touching, or housing stray or wild animals.
• If you see a domestic animal that is sick, injured, dead, orphaned, or behaving oddly, leave it alone and contact Princeton Animal Control.
• If you see a wild animal that is sick, injured, orphaned, or behaving
  oddly, leave it alone and contact Princeton Animal Control. Do not handle the animal
  yourself.

Call the Princeton Animal Control Daytime Number Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (609) 924-2728.

Nights & Weekends, call the Princeton Police Department Non-Emergency Line at (609) 921-2100.