Katie Livermore is a reporting intern at The ÅÝֱܽ²¥ since July
2024. She was raised in Tualatin, OR and studies international
relations, journalism and chemistry at Oregon State University. For
the past year she worked as Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Barometer,
OSU's school newspaper, while interning with former Editor-in-Chief
Chris Johns of National Geographic and science journalist Julia
Rosen. Katie enjoys writing poetry, volunteering at animal shelters
and trying every coffee shop in town.Â
Last week a sick bat tested positive for rabies after being found in southwest Bend.
The animal — a big brown bat — was discovered in a public space and wasn’t flying, said Eric Mone, Deschutes County Public Health supervisor.
The bat was taken to a veterinary hospital, where it died. Afterward, the bat was taken to the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University in Corvallis, where it tested positive for rabies.
Bats are the most commonly reported animal for rabies in the United States, though not all bats carry the disease, according to Deschutes County Public Health.
Rabies can be spread to both humans and pets from scratches or bites from a rabies-infected animal.
“Last year we had four (bats) test positive in Deschutes County,†Mone said. “The last one was last year in September.â€
To avoid exposure, Deschutes County Public Health recommends avoiding physical contact with bats and keeping children and animals away from them no matter their condition, avoiding hand feeding stray or wild animals, and vaccinating dogs, cats and ferrets against rabies to protect pets and humans.
Bats play a valuable role in the ecosystem, so if you see a bat unable to fly, active during the day or in an unusual location, Deschutes County Public Health recommends taking children and animals to a safe area and calling Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife at 541-388-6363 or contact a local wildlife control operator.
If a person or pet comes into contact with a bat or is bitten by an animal, it should be reported to Deschutes County Animal Control at 541-693-6911 or Deschutes County Environmental Health at 541-317-3114.
Katie Livermore is a reporting intern at The ÅÝֱܽ²¥ since July
2024. She was raised in Tualatin, OR and studies international
relations, journalism and chemistry at Oregon State University. For
the past year she worked as Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Barometer,
OSU's school newspaper, while interning with former Editor-in-Chief
Chris Johns of National Geographic and science journalist Julia
Rosen. Katie enjoys writing poetry, volunteering at animal shelters
and trying every coffee shop in town.Â
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.