CARY, N.C. (WNCN) – The Town of Cary’s Animal Services confirmed Monday its first case of rabies in 2019, according to a news release.

A citizen on Saturday found a bat in the outside breezeway of the Bell Preston Reserve Apartments on Berwick Valley Lane. He put on gloves and picked it up, placed it in a box, and called the police, according to the release.

Animal Services responded and took the bat to the State Laboratory of Public Health in Raleigh. Tests determined it had rabies, the release said.

The person who found the bat was not attacked or injured.

The news release urges people to exercise caution “when dealing with suspicious animals or pets that may have encountered a suspicious animal. Wear gloves and other protective clothing when helping injured pets, and stay away from any bodily fluids, especially saliva.”