Shanghai Sees Rise in Bats Entering Homes, Prompting Safety Warning

Firefighters in Shanghai have warned residents not to handle bats with bare hands after a rise in reports of bats entering homes this summer, while infectious disease experts said any direct contact should be treated as a high-risk rabies exposure, Shanghai Morning Post reported today.

The warning comes after similar cases were reported in Beijing. From May 1 to August 18, the fire rescue brigade in Beijing’s Fengtai District handled 203 bat-related calls, nearly double the 102 cases recorded during the same period last year. Experts said the increase may be linked to improving urban ecology, which has created more suitable habitats for bats.

Shanghai residents have also reported more encounters, with some saying bats had broken through window screens and flown indoors. In Baoshan District, firefighters received 31 calls in August about bats entering residential homes, close to three times the 11 cases reported in the same period last year.

In one case late on August 29, a woman living alone in Baoshan’s Yuepu area called firefighters after a bat flew into her home. When firefighters arrived, they searched the room but initially found nothing. Because the bedroom lights were on and bats tend to avoid bright areas, firefighters suspected it had hidden in a dark corner.

After moving a wardrobe, they found the bat behind it near the wall. A firefighter wearing protective gear caught it with a net and later released it outdoors.

Shanghai fire authorities said bat-related calls have increased this year, mainly in areas including Pudong, Baoshan and Songjiang. The cases are concentrated in older residential compounds with more greenery, and residents living on lower floors, especially below the sixth floor, should be more alert.

Firefighters said bats generally do not actively attack people, but may bite if residents spray them with insecticide or try to catch them by hand. They advised people to avoid direct contact and call professionals if a bat enters the home.

Doctors from the infectious disease department at Huashan Hospital also warned that bats can carry multiple pathogens, including rabies virus. They said residents should never handle bats with bare hands, and that contact with a bat should be considered the highest level of rabies exposure, requiring prompt medical attention.