Bat bites Broomfield grocery store worker

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A grocery store worker is in the hospital after getting exposed to a bat three weeks ago.

It happened July 21 outside the King Soopers store at 121st and Sheridan in Broomfield. But the woman didn’t report it to Broomfield Animal Control until Friday, Aug. 3.

Broomfield police say the worker was on a break during the day in front of the store when a bat flew up from a soda vending machine, ran into her body and flew off.

About two weeks later, she told Broomfield Animal Control she wasn’t sure if it bit her.

But bat teeth are very small and sharp, so a wound may look like a pin-like puncture or it may not be visible at all.

The state health department could not confirm Saturday if she contracted rabies–which causes a fatal inflammation of the brain.

King Soopers customers say they wouldn’t expect a bat in a busy strip mall.

“Not in a parking lot, near a supermarket, not where a lot of people and cars are. No, no,” says customer Rebecca Pichler.

But wildlife experts say if the animal was sick, that wouldn’t be unusual.

“It’s when we see them hanging around at odd times of the day, behaving strangely, if you can actually see and observe them during the day, they appear listless, that is certainly a concern,” says Jennifer Churchill of Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Bats are nocturnal, so if you see one during the day, there’s probably something wrong with it.

And if you see it in an unusual place–like the side of a building or on the ground–you should stay away and call your local animal control department.

The last reported case of rabies in a human was 1931.