The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control has advised the Village of La Grange that a bat was found on June 14, 2017 in the vicinity of the 0 - 100 block of N. Waiola Avenue. It was subsequently determined that the bat tested positive for rabies (see attached notice from Cook County).
The Village would like to provide residents with the following instructions should you encounter a bat, whether it is dead or alive:
1. If you find a bat inside your home and it is dead, or in the event that it is stunned and not dead, place a bucket over it to safely contain it and then call Cook County Animal and Rabies Control at 708-974-6140. This number is staffed 24/7 and a Cook County Animal Warden will respond within 1-2 hours. This is the only circumstance in which the County will come out and collect the bat.
2. If the bat is alive inside your home, open a window to let it return to the outdoors. You may also call 9-1-1 and the La Grange Police Department will attempt to assist with getting the bat to exit your home.
3. If the bat is alive outside, leave it alone.
4. If you find a dead bat outside, use a shovel with work gloves to scoop the bat into a garbage bag. You may dispose of the bag with your regular household garbage. You may also call the Department of Public Works to collect it.
The most important thing in all situations is to NOT touch the bat.
While no other cases of a similar nature have been reported to the Village, Cook County advises that bats testing positive for rabies is a common occurrence and that cases increase through the summer months especially with more rain as mosquitos infect them.
For general information about rabies control, please visit the Illinois Department of Public Health website at http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/hb/hbrabies.htm.