FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 28, 2000

CARY, NC – Nearly a dozen people staying at a Cary home for Thanksgiving have been exposed to a rabid bat. On Friday, a Town of Cary Animal Control officer responded to a call from residents on Dunedin Court in Cary’s MacGregor subdivision requesting assistance with removing a bat from the house. Animal Control captured the living bat, euthanized it, and stored it until it could be received by the State for testing in Raleigh yesterday. This morning’s test results confirm that the bat was positive for the virus that causes rabies.

While no one in the MacGregor home reported having been bitten by the bat, they have all been referred to their personal physicians and local health departments since rabies exposure from bats is sometimes difficult to verify. Some of those exposed are from out of state.

As part of their regular procedure, Cary Animal Control officers are today circulating Rabies Alerts to residents living near where the bat was found.

This is the second case of rabies reported in Cary this year. The first occurred on July 27^th when a puppy brought a dead bat to its owners on Chatburn Circle in Preston. The Chatburn puppy had not yet reached the four-month old vaccination requirement age and there was no bite involved, so no action was being taken by Animal Control against the puppy. That case happened exactly two years to the day from what had been Cary’s last reported rabies case.

As a matter of policy, Town of Cary Animal Control officers do respond to citizen requests to remove bats when the bats are located in the living area of homes. When bats or other varmints are located in garages, attics, or other areas not part of the home’s living quarters, citizens are referred to private businesses specializing in pest control.

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