A wild bat was found inside Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 4, when an overnight camper awoke to the bat flying around her head. The guest did not appear to suffer any scratches or bite marks.
After the Douglas County Health Department was notified by the zoo, a team discovered seven wild, little brown bats inside the aquarium. All of the bats were euthanized. Only one of the seven tested positive for rabies.
“The bats we identified were little brown bats, a common bat species in Nebraska that anyone could find in their backyard or attic,” Dr. Sarah Woodhouse, animal health director for the zoo, said in a statement. “It is not unusual for a wild bat to be infected with rabies, which is why you should never directly touch a wild bat.”
Zoo and Nebraska health officials recommended that the 186 campers and some staffers who stayed overnight at the zoo’s aquarium on the weekends of June 26-27 and July 3-4 get rabies shots.
The zoo is offering to pay for the guest’s post-exposure rabies treatment and for the camping events, KETV reported.
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