DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas – A dead bat has tested positive for rabies in Dripping Springs, making the third rabid bat found in Central Texas in one month.

The bat was found on May 11 around 10 a.m. in the grass near a residential driveway on the 100 block of Canterbury Drive, located in the Belterra Subdivision.

The Department of State Health Services examined and tested the bat, resulting in the discovery that the bat was infected with the rabies virus.

Anyone who might have come into contact with the bat are asked to call the Hays County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Unit at 512-393-7867 or the Department of State Health Services Zoonosis Control at 254-778-6744. 

It has been less than one month since two rabid bats were found in Hays and Travis County. A Mexican Free Tail Bat was found by a Manor resident who placed the bat in a shoebox and called animal control. The bat was euthanized and tested positive for rabies.

Officials want to remind people to explain to their children what to do if they encounter a seemingly dead bat.

Lisa Norwood from ACS in San Antonio provided the following:

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER A BAT

  • Never touch wildlife or any roaming animal, regardless of whether it is living or dead
  • Refrain from feeding, touching, or handling any wildlife or unknown animals
  • If you or your pet makes contact with a bat, skunk, raccoon, coyote, or other wildlife, call 311 to be connected to your local animal control department
  • If the unknown animal is within a home or building, keep the animal confined, but only if it can be done safely and without direct contact
  • Wait for Animal Control to respond and avoid striking the animal. Physical trauma can damage the brain and make it impossible to conduct rabies laboratory tests

DON'T FORGET YOUR DOGS AND CATS

Pets that come into contact with wildlife should be confined to prevent further exposure to people or animals. State law dictates that any actual or potential rabies exposure must be reported to the local rabies authority for investigation and potential testing.

Remember, all dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies annually in keeping with city and state law.

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