Many people have serious misconceptions about bats. Perhaps one of the most popular of which is the belief that bats are vicious carriers of rabies. The fact is that bats are actually quite harmless, and do not exhibit any higher percentage of rabies infection than any other animal species. In fact, bats infected with rabies usually do not exhibit the aggressive behavior that often occurs with rabies infection in other animals. Rabies infection normally paralyzes the bat, so do not pick up a bat that may be lying on the ground without thick protective gloves. If in doubt, contact your local wildlife control agency.