August is bat season

August is the peak month for human-bat encounters, and the Minnesota Health Department is warning about exposure to rabies.

Last August, a Minnesota man was bitten by a rabid bat and died two months later. Health department veterinarian Joni Scheftel said the man was not certain he'd been bitten and didn't seek immediate medical care.

She said anyone who has a close encounter with a bat should try to capture the animal and bring it to the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in St. Paul for testing.

"Sometimes when people are capturing bats they injure the bat enough that the bat can't be tested. So yes, please do not hit the bat with a tennis racket," Scheftel said.

Scheftel said bat bites can be so small, often it can be difficult to tell if a bite has occurred. She says 40 percent of human-bat encounters in Minnesota happen during the month of August.

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