WHIDBEY ISLAND, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Residents on Whidbey Island are being warned after a bat there tested positive for rabies.

The Island County Public Health Department issued a public health advisory on Friday, Aug. 9, saying that a resident found a big brown bat outside of their home on Aug. 1.

The bat had bit a separate resident, who is receiving a post-exposure rabies vaccination and is reported to be doing well. The department is asking people to be cautious when encountering wild animals and to never touch them, even if they’re dead.

All wildlife observations – dead, alive or sick – should be reported to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

If you’ve made any contact with a bat, the department says to immediately wash the area with soap and hot water and contact your medical provider. This was the fourth case of bat rabies reported in Washington this year.