BLADENBORO, NC — Health officials are urging residents across the region to stay alert after a bat found near Bladenboro tested positive for rabies, prompting renewed concern about pet‑exposure risks in neighboring counties, including Columbus.
The Bladen County Health Department confirmed the positive test on August 12 after a dead bat was discovered on a property along NC 131 near Todd Road.
Animal Control retrieved the bat and submitted it for testing, which returned a rabies‑positive result.
Officials say anyone who may have been bitten, scratched, or exposed to the bat’s saliva in late July or early August should contact public health immediately for a rabies risk assessment.
Although the incident occurred in Bladen County, wildlife officials note that rabies activity does not remain confined to county borders. Bats, raccoons, foxes, and skunks routinely move between Bladen and Columbus counties through forest corridors, farmland edge lines, and the Lumber River basin. That movement makes a confirmed rabies case in Bladenboro a meaningful warning for Columbus County pet owners.
Outdoor dogs and cats are considered the most at‑risk. Columbus County has a large population of outdoor pets, particularly in rural communities such as Cerro Gordo, Chadbourn, Evergreen, Old Dock, Hallsboro and Clarendon. These animals frequently encounter wildlife around porches, barns, sheds, and wooded property lines. A single interaction with a rabid animal can lead to mandatory quarantine or euthanasia if vaccination is not current, in accordance with North Carolina rabies control laws.
Bats also remain a significant concern.
They commonly roost in attics, barns, carports, and older outbuildings throughout Columbus County. Public health officials say that finding a bat inside a home should always be treated as a potential exposure event for both people and pets. Residents are advised not to release or dispose of a bat found indoors until speaking with Animal Control or the Health Department, as the animal may need to be tested.
North Carolina law requires all dogs, cats, and ferrets to be kept currently vaccinated for rabies. Officials say this remains the most effective way to prevent the disease, which is fatal once symptoms appear but fully preventable with prompt treatment following exposure.
Residents who believe they or their pets may have been exposed to a bat or other potentially rabid animal should contact local authorities immediately. Bladen County Health Department: 910‑862‑6900 Bladen County Animal Control: 910‑862‑6918 Columbus County Animal Control: 910‑641‑3945
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