White Sands seeks visitor who handled dead bat
White Sands National Park is trying to contact a teenage visitor who handled a dead bat and may need medical guidance about possible rabies exposure.
Park officials say a teenage visitor brought a dead bat into the visitor center June 18 and should contact a medical provider or health department about possible rabies exposure.
Organ Mountain News report
WHITE SANDS NATIONAL PARK - White Sands National Park is trying to contact a teenage visitor who handled a dead bat with bare hands and brought it into the park visitor center last week.
The visitor entered the visitor center at about 10:20 a.m. Thursday, June 18, while holding the bat and placed it on the visitor center desk, according to a news release from the National Park Service.
The visitor and an accompanying adult told park staff the bat was already dead when they picked it up. They left shortly afterward, before park staff could provide additional health and safety guidance.
Park officials said the visitor, or the visitor’s parent or guardian, should contact a medical provider or local health department right away to discuss whether rabies post-exposure treatment is recommended. They are also asked to contact White Sands National Park at WHSA_Interpretation@nps.gov.
Why bat contact matters
Any direct contact with a bat, alive or dead, should be treated as a possible rabies exposure because bites or scratches from bats can be hard to detect, park officials said.
Rabies is a viral disease that is nearly always fatal once symptoms begin, but it can be prevented with prompt medical care after a possible exposure. The disease is usually transmitted through contact with saliva from an infected animal.
Park officials said bats are an important part of the ecosystem and consume large quantities of insects, including mosquitoes and insects that can damage crops or forests.
About 1% of bats in nature are infected with rabies, according to the park. However, the risk of exposure is higher when a bat is found dead, acting strangely, lying on the ground, flying near people or making contact with people.
A bat tested positive for rabies at White Sands National Park last year, according to the park.
What visitors should do
Park officials said visitors should never pick up or handle wild animals, dead or alive.
Visitors should report sick or dead wildlife, and any contact with wildlife, to a park ranger.
More information about rabies is available through the New Mexico Department of Health and the National Park Service Disease Prevention Program. People with questions about potential bat contact in a national park can contact the program at publichealthprogram@nps.gov.
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