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Nearly 200 campers needed preventative shots after a rabid bat was discovered at a Nebraska zoo

Jul 11, 2021, 20:14 IST
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Little Brown Bat roosting on tree bark on June 13, 2007. MyLoupe/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
  • A Nebraska zoo told nearly 200 campers to get rabies shots after they discovered a wild rabid bat.
  • Officials said they found seven wild bats, one of which tested positive for rabies.
  • All seven bats were euthanized.
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A Nebraska zoo urged nearly 200 of its overnight campers to get rabies shots after discovering a wild rabid bat on their premises earlier this month, according to the Associated Press.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium said one of its 186 campers awoke on the night of July 4 to find a wild bat flying around her head.

The camper, who was not named, was tended to by emergency medical officials, but no bites or scratches were found on her.

Zoo officials later discovered seven wild bats in the aquarium, one of which tested positive for rabies. All the bats were euthanized.

Read more: We got an exclusive look inside Project DART, Moderna's tiny manufacturing project that could have a huge impact on future pandemics

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As a precautionary measure, zoo officials recommended everyone on-site, including staff, get rabies shots. The shots were paid for and campers also received a full refund.

All other overnight camping events were moved to a different portion of the zoo as workers investigated how the creatures were able to get into the area, according to the AP.

The zoo's director of animal health, Sarah Woodhouse, told the AP: "It is not unusual for a wild bat to be infected with rabies, which is why you should never directly touch a wild bat."

"The bats we identified were Little brown bats, a common bat species in Nebraska that anyone could find in their backyard or attic," she added.

Although rare, little brown bats can carry and transmit rabies. The lethal virus affects the central nervous system of mammals and is spread through saliva.

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