SEATTLE — The Washington State Department of Health says it euthanized 12 bats last month that were infected with rabies, making this August the highest in a decade for rabid bats being found.
KIRO-TV reported Monday that the state has now euthanized 21 rabid bats this year. The bats were found everywhere from inside homes to along city sidewalks.
Twenty bats tested positive for rabies last year.
Any mammal can be infected with the rabies virus, which is found in the saliva of an animal and is usually transmitted by a bite or scratch.
