Strange stories of rabid animals popped up all summer. Here’s how to protect yourself.

There was the rabid fox in Baltimore’s Roland Park, then rabid beaver attacks at two state parks, followed by a rabid kitten caught in Baltimore County.

More recently, a bat found at a private school in Bel Air tested positive for rabies, according to health officials. Despite some alarming encounters with rabid animals this summer, positive cases are not on the rise in Maryland. Officials, however, are still urging people to be cautious.

The bat was found in St. Margaret School on Sept. 1, and parents were notified the next day when the animal tested positive for rabies, said Ronya Nassar, a spokesperson for the Harford County Health Department.

A second bat was also found in the school but escaped, Nassar said, adding that the school has taken measures to find where the bats entered.

Nassar did not disclose whether anyone in the school had been exposed. There have been two other unrelated cases of rabies in bats in the county this year, she said.

Maryland Department of Health records show that the number of animals testing positive for rabies in the state has been trending down. Last year, 226 animals tested positive, down from 413 in 2000 and a peak of 515 positive cases in 2001. State health data shows no reported human rabies cases in Maryland in the decade ending in 2024.

This year, there have been 173 confirmed animal rabies cases as of Sept. 12, according to state health records.

The two rabid beavers that attacked teenagers at Cunningham Falls State Park in Frederick County this summer were euthanized, and a third beaver, which attacked a 10-year-old girl at Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County, was found dead and later tested positive for rabies. All of the people involved were treated promptly. Prior to this summer, the last documented rabid beaver attack in Maryland happened in 2021.

In 2025, raccoons led the lineup with 122 rabies cases, followed by skunks (30), cats (24), bats (22) and foxes (15), according to data from the state health department. No beavers were listed.

Frederick had the most cases last year with 38 animals, followed by Harford with 28 and Montgomery and Baltimore counties, each with 21. Baltimore City had 19.

If you do encounter a rabid animal, here are some things to know.

‘Don’t talk to strangers’ applies to animals, too

Keep your distance from wild or stray animals. Health officials say it’s also important to stay away from dogs and cats you don’t know and never try to feed them.

If you come across a live or dead bat in your home, don’t try to handle it, said David McCallister, a spokesperson for the state health department. Instead, call your local health department.

Bats are often harmless and avoid humans, so it is unusual that they’ll make their way into a home, Nassar said.

“A bat found inside a house is cause for concern if any individual has had direct contact with it or if the residents are unaware of the length of time the bat has been within the house,” Nassar said. But only a “small percentage of bats that are submitted each year test positive for the rabies virus.”

Keeping strange animals away starts with basic maintenance around the house. McCallister recommended that people tighten lids on garbage cans outside and that pet owners keep food bowls inside. Fixing broken window screens and capping chimneys can also help keep animals from sneaking inside.

Maryland law also requires vaccinating pets against rabies by four months of age, including dogs, cats and ferrets.

Seek medical attention if you are bitten

If you are bitten by an animal or believe you have been exposed to rabies, clean the wound and seek medical attention.

Those who have been vaccinated against rabies may not need a shot, but those who have not will have to get one. It’s also important to report any animal bites to local health officials or police so they can investigate further.

Rabies infections in humans are rare and largely preventable if those who are exposed get treated right away, as the bite victims in Frederick and Montgomery counties did. But once symptoms appear, the virus is almost always fatal.

Banner reporter Meredith Cohn contributed to this story.