Utahns could be noticing a lot more bats in September.
The Utah County Health Department said bats will now begin to migrate through Utah as they head south to New Mexico and Mexico.
According to Lance Madigan, Utah County Health Department Spokesperson, bats can be beneficial by eating annoying and sometimes dangerous insects, but they also have a high risk of carrying rabies.
Madigan said about a third of bats found sick or dead where people and pets have access to them will test positive for rabies.
According to health officials, rabies is almost always a fatal disease, infecting the central nervous system and ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.
“Enjoy bat sighting from a distance,” Madigan said in a press release. “Never touch or handle a bat.”
