New Hampshire

NH Man Bitten by Rabid Bat Hiding in iPad Case: ‘It Must Have Been Very Squished'

Roy Syvertson, 86, of South Hampton, said he went to close up his iPad and the animal was wedged between the back of the device and its cover

A New Hampshire man is recovering after being bit by a bat that was hiding in his iPad case.

Roy Syvertson, 86, of South Hampton, said he went to close up his iPad and the animal was wedged between the back of the device and its cover. 

"It felt like a little bee sting, and it hurt," he said.

The bat bit his finger before Syvertson managed to press the cover down to keep the bat from flying away.

"I looked and there was the bat looking out at me, and I could see his wings had the little hooks on them," Syverston said. "It must have been very squished in there."

Syverston said he only discovered the bat when he went to close the iPad case. He had been watching the news on it for an hour.

"I kept squeezing it so he wouldn't come out, because, as you see, we got a high ceiling in here," he said.

Syvertson said he got the bat outside but then later found it dead so he called the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game for fear the animal might have rabies.

Police said the bat tested positive for rabies so Syvertson went to an area hospital for treatment.

Syvertson said he never felt sick, but the incident has him a bit on edge.

"When I open up the Manchester Union Leader to read now I'm very careful when I open it up," he said. "When I open up the refrigerator I want to make sure there's nothing in the refrigerator, cereal box... what could be lurking in there? So maybe I am getting paranoid, I don't know."

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