Rabid bat found near SF community garden

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- There's no shortage of bats this Halloween, but a San Francisco family was surprised to find a real one in their driveway, and this one turned out to be rabid.

Eleven-year old Ian McNamara assured his mother Melissa Shanley it was not a Halloween trick.

"We saw one of the ears twitch, so we knew it was alive when it was still in the driveway," Melisssa Shanley said.

Shanley took photos of the bat. The creature eventually made its way from the family's driveway to the sidewalk, along 15th Avenue in San Francisco's Richmond District.

"They put a box on top of it, and the Board of Health came out, and they said the bat was rabid," San Francisco resident George Valter said.

The rabid bat was found in the daylight, just outside of the Argonne Community Garden.

The San Francisco Department of Health says it has no record of a rabid bat infecting a human, but they asked anyone who may have made contact with a bat in recent days to contact the department.

Melissa Shanley says she was interviewed by an Animal Control officer.

"He was telling me there had been a few cases around the area, so as long as we're aware and stay careful I'm not concerned," she said.

The Department of Health could not confirm the exact number of rabid bats found in the area. But it said there is likely nothing to worry about.