The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Section confirmed on Friday, June 1, 2018, the first positive Rabies case in Polk County for 2018.


On Thursday, May 31, 2018, a Lakeland woman reported stepping on a bat that was laying in her yard on Robertson Street.

The PCSO Animal Control Section responded, impounded the bat, and sent its body to the state lab for rabies testing.The bat was confirmed positive for rabies by the State Laboratory on Friday, June 1st.

Residents are reminded that raccoons are among the mammals considered to be high risk species or “rabies vector species” (RVS).Please do not approach any animal which is acting in an unusual or suspicious manner. If you think you or your pet has had an “exposure,” please contact the PCSO Animal Control Section at 863.577.1762.