Downtown Minneapolis News: Rabies Alert: Rabid Bat Found on Hennepin Ave

 Update: September 22, 2026

Section 1: The Sidewalk Encounter

The midday bustle on Hennepin Avenue took a bizarre and terrifying turn. Around noon on Tuesday, September 15, a struggling bat was spotted on the sidewalk between North Washington Avenue and North Third Street, right in the heart of downtown Minneapolis.

A young woman walking her curly-haired dog noticed the small mammal in distress. Motivated by good intentions, she crouched over the animal, gently scooped it up using a plastic bag, and placed it inside. Hoping to get the creature some help, she handed the bag to a passing couple who offered to drive it to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Roseville.

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Section 2: The Diagnosis

Unfortunately, the bat died shortly after arriving at the facility. Because it had interacted with humans, the center sent the animal to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for testing. On Friday, the results came back with a chilling diagnosis: the bat was rabid.

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Section 3: The Panicked Public Search

The diagnosis triggered an immediate public health emergency. Because rabies is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms appear, health officials faced a ticking clock. They knew a woman had handled the bat, but because she had simply handed the bag to a stranger, no one knew her identity.

Over the weekend, health agents flooded downtown Minneapolis and the North Loop, taping bright public safety alerts to street poles and light fixtures. The posters warned the community about the rabid bat and explicitly pleaded for the woman to contact them immediately. Epidemiologists stressed a terrifying reality: bat bites can be as microscopic and painless as a pinprick, meaning she could have been exposed without ever realizing it.

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Section 4: Resolution & Public Warning

The frantic search came to a relieved conclusion on Monday afternoon. After spotting the signs and reading the exploding social media alerts, the woman officially came forward and contacted state health leaders.

Health officials conducted an immediate risk assessment and directed her toward life-saving post-exposure rabies shots. While praising her kind heart, state epidemiologists issued a stern warning to all Minnesotans: if you see a wild animal in distress on a city sidewalk, never touch it—leave it entirely alone and call local animal control.