Rabid Bat Bites Boy At Manito First-Grader Picked It Up During School Outing At Park

A 6-year-old north Spokane boy faces another in a series of shots today after being bitten by a rabid bat in Manito Park.

Jerry Mitchell, a first-grader at Audubon Elementary School, was on a field trip Friday when he spotted the bat climbing up a tree near the duck pond.

Jerry said he became curious because he’d never seen a real bat before.

“I picked it up and said, ‘Hey, there’s a bat.”’

Then the bat let out a screech and bit the boy’s finger. “It just felt like something poked me, so I dropped it,” Jerry said Tuesday.

Jerry, whose skin wasn’t broken from the bite, ran and told a teacher.

“At first, the teacher didn’t believe me that there was a bat,” he said.

When animal-control workers arrived, a witness had caught the 4-inch-long bat, which appeared to be in poor health.

Veterinarian Brian Hunter euthanized the animal and shipped it to Seattle, where state health laboratory workers performed tests on the bat’s brain over the holiday weekend. Rabies was detected.

The boy began receiving his injections Sunday and will get four more over the next month.

Jerry was one of about 90 children from four Audubon classrooms who went on the field trip to the park, said Principal Richard Stannard.

“These kind of incidents are extremely unusual. … Our parks are safe,” said city Parks Director Ange Taylor.

Rabid bats aren’t unusual.

In Spokane County and the rest of the state, the disease is detected in 11 percent of bats tested.

The best advice: Stay away from bats.

“They’re nocturnal animals and live their own lives,” said Dr. Paul Stepak, epidemiologist at the Spokane County Health District.

“People should respect that and should avoid handling bats and discourage bats from taking residence right near their homes.”

If someone gets bit, call the Spokane County Health District so the bat can be tested, Stepak said.

Taylor, who started work for the city five weeks ago, did not hear about the biting until Tuesday afternoon, when contacted by a reporter.

He said he’s working on a new set of policies that will require employees to contact him whenever someone is injured in a park.

Taylor said the incident underscores the need for adults to supervise children while on park outings, and for people to respect wildlife, particularly small mammals, like squirrels and marmots.

During 23 years working for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Taylor said, he sometimes received reports of animals biting visitors.

In each incident, Taylor said, “It’s because the person has done something to the animal, stepped on it or fed it.

“Enjoy them visually. Don’t touch them, don’t feed them, and these little animals will leave you alone.”

Jerry Mitchell Sr. said his son is interested in science and has always been fascinated by bugs.

“He’s put some pretty ugly things in my hand,” the father said.

Mitchell said he hopes his son’s painful encounter encourages others to be cautious about approaching wild animals.

“I just hope this helps to warn the other people.”

, DataTimes