Rabies case spurs KCAS to issue public alert

Any person who touched a bat in front of the Big Lots store, 1305 Sidney Baker Street in Kerrville on Thursday, Oct. 24, is being urged to seek immediate medical attention and contact health authorities, since the bat has since tested positive for rabies.

“If you were at the entrance to the Big Lots store on that day and you touched or picked up a bat that was on the ground, Kerr County Animal Services and the Texas Department of State Health Services recommend you contact DSHS immediately by calling 210-949-2000. We also urge you to contact your preferred medical professional as soon as possible,” said KCAS Director Reagan Givens.

Several women reportedly had touched the bat, picked it up and posed for photos with it, Givens said.

Kerr County Animal Services was advised of the bat and dispatched an animal control officer to the store to collect the specimen and send it for testing.

The zoological lab confirmed today, Oct. 30, that the bat was positive for having rabies.

This case is the 16th incident of rabies that Kerr County has recorded this year. Other cases have included: 1 cat, 1 dog, 2 fox, 2 raccoons, 8 skunks and one other bat.

Rabies is a deadly virus that attacks the neurological system. The disease is carried by mammals and can be transferred to humans.

Many of Kerr County’s confirmed cases of rabies were in animals found inside city limits.

“If you see a wild animal of any kind, please do not pick it up or touch it – not even for selfies,” Givens said. “It may have diseases and/or rabies. In cases such as this, we do not have any information on the identity of the individuals who had contact with this particular bat.”

Anyone noticing an animal acting strangely is asked to note its physical appearance, the exact location when spotted and which direction it may be heading, then call Kerr County Animal Services, the local rabies authority, at 830-257-3100 to report the information. If the sighting is after normal business hours, then please call in the report to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office at 830-896-1216.