South Dakota Bat Found Inside Home Tests Positive For Rabies

If you're familiar with the hit sitcom television series The Office, it sounds like a South Dakota family took Michael Scott's advice about the dangers of rabies seriously.

A family in Brandon, South Dakota, had a bat hiding inside their home. Lucky for them, local authorities managed to safely capture the bat. Why lucky? This bat tested positive for rabies.

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The City of Brandon confirmed in a Facebook post that the bat found in the Sioux Empire does have rabies.

This South Dakota family was prepared if the bat had rabies. Here are the steps they took, according to local officials:

Confined pets to rooms away from the bat
Pets were vaccinated for rabies.

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What do you do if you find a bat flying in your home?

In South Dakota, there are shockingly 12 species of bats that live in the state. The South Dakota Bat Working Group website says six of the species of bats are " mouse-eared bats of the genus Myotis, like the little brown bat. All of South Dakota's bats have dark brown wings and short brown fur." Bats are commonly found in attics. Male bats stay away from the heat and typically travel alone.

If you happen to see a bat and it bites you, rabies is very manageable. It's not just bats either! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that "over 4 million Americans report being bitten by animals each year. 800,000 receive rabies-related medical care from local or state health departments."

So, what do you do if a wild animal bites or scratches you?

If you have contact with a bat or any wild animals, here's what the CDC recommends:

Wash any wounds immediately with soap and water for 15 minutes to flush out any virus.
Talk with a healthcare or public health professional about your risk and if you need rabies-related care.
Tell your healthcare provider the type of animal you encountered.
Make note of and tell your healthcare provider if you see any signs that the animal is not acting normally.
If the animal that bit you is a pet, ask the owner if the animal is up-to-date on their rabies vaccination.

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It's also a good idea to call local authorities if a wild animal is in your home or if one bites you. Better to be safe than sorry!

Sioux Falls Through The Generations

It’s 1989, where is your family going out to eat?

If you are a Sioux Falls 80s Kid, you probably spent many nights cruising the loop, browsing the records at Musicland, and going out to eat at one of these gone but not forgotten Sioux Falls institutions.

On social media, we asked you all: ‘It’s 1989, where is your family going out to eat?’ Here’s what you said.

Source: South Dakota Bat Found Inside Home Tests Positive For Rabies