A bat found on Douglas Island turned out to be doubly rare: it's the first Juneau bat ever to test positive to rabies, and it's one of just a handful of silver-hared bats ever collected in Alaska. Sadly it cannot enjoy these distinctions.
A veterinarian autopsies a silver bat with rabies in Fairbanks. June 28, 2022.
“If it is a normal bat, we would expect it to fly away over that period,” said state wildlife biologist Roy Churchwell. Churchwell went and collected the bat, which had to be euthanized. He sent it to state veterinarian Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen in Fairbanks, who tested it for rabies. “So far it’s just the isolated case,” said Churchwell. “We have sent a couple other bats up that haven’t tested positive from the Juneau area, so it’s not something we’re too worried about yet.”
They’re distinct from the brown haired bats that are typical in the region because they’re bigger and have rounded rather than pointy ears. They’re usually recognizable by silver hair.
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