A New Canaan woman is undergoing a series of rabies shots after getting a bat out of her house without giving officials a chance to test it for the disease.
She’s at risk because rabies can be contracted even without direct contact with a bat, through the saliva, according to Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt.
At about 12:20 p.m. on June 13, the woman found a bat flying around in her Old Stamford Road home, according to a police report.
“She didn’t realize that if the bat is not tested, she may have put herself at risk,” Kleinschmitt said.
“If the saliva drips down and you touch it with your hands, the virus is still viable, so then if you touch your nose, mouth or eyes, that can be an entry point for rabies into the body,” she continued. “That’s why bats are such a serious situation.”
New Canaan typically sees bats in August and September because that’s when the females give birth and kick the male out of the nest (and often, into homes), officials say.
In related news, a bat that was found in a Hoyt Street home on June 9 was sent to a state lab for rabies testing, and it came back negative, according to police.