Raleigh warns residents after rabid bat found in northwest neighborhood

A bat found lying on the ground in the 7800 block of Mayapple Place in northwest Raleigh tested positive for rabies, giving Wake County families a concrete reason to treat unusual wildlife sightings as a safety issue, not a nuisance.

An officer with the Raleigh Police Department Animal Control Unit was called Monday to the neighborhood, where the bat was secured and later confirmed to have rabies. City officials said it is Raleigh’s second confirmed animal rabies case in 2026, following a raccoon case in late March. That makes the latest finding more than an isolated wildlife problem: it is another reminder that rabies is still circulating in local animals.

Residents who see an animal behaving strangely are being told to call 919-831-6311. Raleigh Animal Control is part of the Raleigh Police Department and handles injured or abandoned animals, vicious-animal complaints and other situations involving pets and wild animals. City guidance also says to stay away from stray animals, avoid leaving pets alone outside and never break up fighting animals.

Public-health officials say the risk is serious because rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, even though it can be prevented in humans with prompt medical treatment. In North Carolina, all mammals are susceptible, and the disease most often shows up in wild animals such as skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes. Nationally, bats are the most frequently reported rabid animals, and about 100,000 Americans receive rabies vaccinations each year after a potential exposure.

Bat encounters need special caution because a bat can transmit rabies through a bite or through a superficial or unnoticed contact. That means any possible bat exposure, especially one involving a child, a sleeping person or a pet, should be treated seriously and evaluated quickly. If a bat is involved in a human exposure, state guidance says it should be safely collected, preferably by Animal Control, and submitted for testing when possible.

Families in Raleigh should keep pets current on rabies vaccinations and boosters, keep food and trash from attracting wildlife and call a veterinarian immediately if a pet has contact with a suspected rabid animal. With a confirmed rabid bat already found in northwest Raleigh this year, officials are urging neighbors to treat any strange wildlife encounter as a call for immediate action.