DURHAM – A case of rabies on Pinkham Brook Road was confirmed Monday by a state lab, animal control officer Frank Wright said.

He tool a bat found on the deck of a home Friday afternoon to a lab at the Division of Infectious Diseases in Augusta for testing and was notified Monday that it was rabid.

Theresa McKittrick of 566 Pinkham Brook Road, also known as Route 125, called Wright on Friday when she saw the bat acting strangely in a pile of leaves on her deck.

“Its wings were spread out and it was making chirping noises,” she said. The bat died before Wright arrived.

McKittrick swept it up with a broom and placed it in a bucket, she said, realizing afterward that she should not have handled it without gloves.

“We now have rabies here in Durham and anyone whose dog or cat has not been immunized for rabies should have it done as soon as possible,” Wright said.

It is the first case of confirmed rabies in Durham this year, he said.

Anyone with questions of concerns should call Wright at 353-6959.