Journalist in legislature discovered lump inside his shoe was actually a bat

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Times & Transcript Staff

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FREDERICTON - A journalist in the legislative press gallery received a shocking start to his day when he was bitten by a bat yesterday.

Benjamin Shingler, a reporter for the Telegraph-Journal, was putting on his shoes when he felt a lump inside. He reached inside the shoe to discover the lump was actually a bat, which bit him on the finger before he threw it on a desk.

Shingler went to the hospital where he received a rabies shot and was later released. He is expected to return to work today.

As for the bat, a maintenance worker in the building was able to capture it and take it outside, where it flew away.

The 120-year-old Departmental Building, where the press gallery is located, has previously reported sightings of bats.

A bite from a bat is a serious matter. The Department of Natural Resources says various rabies strains in bats are found throughout Canada. Several types of bat species are found in New Brunswick and sporadic cases of rabies have been detected in bats as well as domestic animals. Aside from bats, this isn't the first time there's been a wildlife incident at the press gallery. In May 2007, a deer entered the same building from a downtown Fredericton street where it made its way throughout the building before trampling through the gallery. The deer exited the building by crashing through a window and continued on its way.