Dead Bat Found in La Grange Had Rabies

La Grange, IL - A dead bat found inside a La Grange home was rabid.

The bat was found May 24 in the 400 block of S. Edgewood Avenue, according to the village, and The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control has confirmed the bat tested positive for rabies.

The village offers the following safety instructions for any residents who encounter a bat, dead or alive. The most important thing is to avoid touching any bats.

1. If you find a bat inside your home and it is dead, place a bucket over it to safely contain it (in the event that it is stunned and not dead) and then call Cook County Animal and Rabies Control at 708-974-6140. This number is staffed 24/7 and a Cook County Animal Warden will respond within 1-2 hours. This is the only circumstance in which the County will come out and collect the bat.
   
2. If the bat is alive inside your home, open a window to let it return to the outdoors. You may also call 9-1-1 and the La Grange Police Department will attempt to assist with getting the bat to exit your home.
   
3. If the bat is alive outside, leave it alone.
   
4. If you find a dead bat outside, use a shovel with work gloves to scoop the bat into a garbage bag. You may dispose of the bag with your regular household garbage. You may also call the Department of Public Works to collect it.

Bats often test positive for rabies, especially in the summer when more bats are infected by mosquitoes, according to Cook County.

For more information about rabies control,  visit the Illinois Department of Public Health website at idph.state.il.us/public/hm/hbrabies.htm.