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2009-07-03

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2009-06-30

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Bat bite sends pets to lab for testing

By JODIE GARCIA, Herald Staff Writer

An Ottawa family lost four of its pets — bats, to be specific — and gained a citation Tuesday for keeping exotic animals within city limits.

Jennifer Ray, 30, was cited for keeping exotic animals after her 9-year-old son was bitten by a bat at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 100 block of South Elm Street, a report from the Ottawa Police Department said. The bats were in a cage, the report said.

Four small bats were confiscated, Capt. Randy Allan said.

He said the animals were turned over to a local veterinarian and then sent to a lab for testing.

Allan said the potential for infection or rabies was more serious than the bite itself.

Bats are a common carrier of rabies, Allan said.

“They shouldn’t be handled for that reason alone,” he said.

According to Ottawa’s municipal code, any poisonous reptile or any other “vicious animal or any other animal or reptile of wild, vicious, or dangerous propensities” is prohibited within city limits.

The code also lists some defined exotic animals, including: monkeys, wolves and coyotes, all members of the deer family, bobcats, raccoons and skunks.

The list includes even more exotic animals like cheetahs, leopards, tigers, lions and baboons.

Allan said some of the more common exotic pets found within Ottawa city limits include poisonous reptiles and snakes, as well as wolf hybrids.

Herald staff writer Jodie Garcia can be e-mailed at jgarcia@ottawaherald.com.

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