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Rabid Bats Plague Los Angeles

Infestation hitting one Ventura County man harder than everyone else
By Tim Karan,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 22, 2011 12:14 PM CDT
Rabid Bats Plague Los Angeles
Rabid bats are swarming to Los Angeles in increased numbers this year.   (Shutterstock)

It's probably only a matter of time before someone writes a screenplay about this: Rabid bats have been invading Los Angeles in increasing numbers this summer. The city public health department says 12 have already been found, up from the eight to 10 typically discovered over a full year, reports the Los Angeles Times. Ventura County tends to see seven or eight rabid bats; this year "we've collected 10 in a 60-day period in one neighborhood," says a city analyst. "One house is the most suspect."

More than 200 bats—believed to be Mexican free-tailed bats—seem to be centered around that unlucky man's home. He and his dog have already been bitten; he's getting vaccinations, and his dog and home have been quarantined. "I can't even go into my yard without searching ahead of time for bats," he says. "I'm afraid to open my windows. People are calling me Batman." (More bats stories.)

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