LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A woman has been treated for rabies after being bitten by a bat at Death Valley National Park.
According to a press release, National Park Service rangers said a bat was seen behaving strangely on April 28 after it was spotted sitting on a garbage can outside the Stovepipe Wells general store.
Officials said a concession employee moved the bat away from that area but that the woman was bitten through her nitrile gloves.
The bat was collected by park service officials and the release said it was tested for rabies at the California Department of Public Health.
On Tuesday, the National Park Service said the woman was informed the bat did have rabies and she is being treated for rabies exposure.
Park rangers said this is one example of the risks whenever humans interact with wildlife at the park.
They cited another example where a coyote was hit by a vehicle on April 20 on the CA-190 near Badwater Road.
The park service said some coyotes in the park associate vehicles with people feeding them even though it's illegal in the national park.
Park rangers are reminding people to not approach, touch, or feed wild animals and if you see them acting oddly, contact a park employee.
