BEAUMONT — A dead bat found in a child’s room in Beaumont has tested positive for rabies.

Beaumont Animal Services got a call about a deceased bat in the 3800 block of Russell Drive on Sunday, Aug. 14.

The bat was located in a 10-year-old boy’s bedroom, according to a press release from Beaumont Animal Services.

The boy was unable to verify, with complete certainty, that he did not have contact with the bat so the animal control officer notified the boy’s father that he would be shipping the bat the following day to be tested for rabies.

Animal Services was notified on Tuesday, Aug. 16, that the bat did test positive for rabies. The local and state health departments were notified and recommended to the family that the boy begin post exposure rabies shots.

Beaumont Animal Services would like to remind people that even though bats are highly beneficial to our ecosystem, with a single bat being able to catch more than 1,000 mosquito size insects in just one hour, they still have the potential to carry rabies.

If you find an injured, sick or dead bat, do not touch it.

If a bat is found inside your house, immediately call your local Animal Control agency to have a trained officer sent to capture and remove the bat.

Not all bats found in houses may be sick, some bats are just weighed down when they are carrying their young. The best thing the public can do in relation to bats is to make sure that all of their companion animals are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations to help prevent the spread of the disease.