Rabid bat bites boy

It sounds like something out a horror flick, but the Chico Police Department says a rabid bat did indeed swoop down and bite a young boy at Bidwell Park.

The boy required treatment after the Butte County Public Health Laboratory confirmed the presence of rabies in the animal. According to a CPD press release, the incident occurred as the 6-year-old played on the grass on the north side of Sycamore Pool at the One-Mile Recreation Area.

Anyone who has come into direct contact with bats—the county’s most common carrier of rabies—is urged to contact Chico Animal Control or Butte County Public Health and seek medical advice.

It’s especially important to vaccinate pets for the virus. A low-cost rabies clinic will be held in Chico from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 at Butte County Public Health, 695 Oleander Ave. Vaccines will cost $6.