Yes, this really happened…
A BAT in my RV “Home on the Road”
So here is the “back story” –
My bet is the bat got in when I left the screen door open as I was completing my summer cleaning routine. I had been in one spot for over 3 months and wanted to do a through clean before “hitting the road”. I thought it left after it flew around the RV on Tuesday evening – I was clearly wrong.
When I encountered it again Wednesday evening (I traveled on Wednesday from Grangeville to New Meadows, Id), I was far more proactive at doing something about it. After locking it in the bathroom for the night, I “addressed the issue” on Thursday morning.
Fortunately, I caught the bat (after subduing it with plenty of household cleaner spray!) and brought it to the health department.
Here are the facts as they pertain to bats and rabies:
- IF you are bit or scratched by a rabid bat (or any animal) and do not act until YOU have symptoms – survival rates are NEAR ZERO PERCENT… scary huh?
- 94% of all bats are NOT rabid (well at least THAT is good news) (data source: google search)
- IF you catch the animal, you can have it tested and know for certain – otherwise, if you had an encounter like mine, the recommended action is to begin a series of rabies shots
- Rabies shots cost upward of $17,000. – according to data found in answers.com
- Rabies can only be prevented in a human that has been exposed by getting the shots BEFORE you show any signs of the disease
