RENTON, Wash. — Customers at a Renton strip mall off Rainier Avenue are still in shock from an encounter with a rabid bat.
"I've never heard of any bats here,” Jill Fiddler said. “I've never seen any. I would be quite surprised to see one."
The Cash America manager said he and his employees saw one outside the store Thursday morning. He said the bat looked sick and could not fly. So without touching it, he and his staff could direct and capture it into Tupperware. They took it to a local wildlife rehabilitation center that day where it was eventually euthanized.
King County Public Health said the bat tested positive for rabies.
“We're a team here,” said Nancy Vargas, whose family owns Carniceria Los Compadres right next door. “I commend them for doing that, so good thing they caught it.”
Public Health identified at least two people who may have been exposed to the bat and are now being evaluated. The virus is found in the saliva of an animal with rabies and can be transmitted by a bite or scratch. And is almost always fatal if not treated.
“There could be more,” Vargas said. “So kind of is a little worrisome. So, keep an eye out for more."
Officials with King County Public Health said the last rabies-related death in humans in Washington was in 1997. The agency said 53 bats tested positive for rabies from 2019-2023.
So far this year, there have been eight rabid bats. According to the state's Department of Health, less than 1% of bats in the wild are infected with rabies.