FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — It started when a student at Northern Arizona University found a rabid bat in her dorm room this September.
Now, the university is moving students out of Mountain View Hall into other nearby residences as more and more bats continue to be found in the building.
NAU said that after the bat was initially caught, it reached out to Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) for further guidance. A pest control contractor was brought in to help reign in the problem, but students and parents say that they keep finding bats.
"In recent days, additional bats have been found despite mitigation efforts," NAU communications told 12News.
"Based on further consultation with CCHHS, we have determined that to best provide for the health, wellbeing, and academic success of our students all residents will be relocated from Mountain View to other nearby apartments."
The university says that it's going to pursue "comprehensive and permanent bat mitigation efforts" for Mountain View Hall.
Arizona is home to 28 different species of bats. Typically, bats avoid humans but will occasionally roost in man-made structures and objects.
Not all bats are immediately dangerous. However, according to the CDC, in the U.S. bats are the most commonly reported animal to have rabies. And most people in the U.S. who die of rabies, were exposed to a bat with rabies.
Only the bat initially captured in September has been confirmed as testing positive for rabies.
NAU did not provide a timetable for when students would be able to return to Mountain View Hall.
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