Young girl bitten by rabid bat while climbing tree outside her family home

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER Published: 06:44, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 06:54, 1 July 2026 A young Wisconsin girl was bitten by a rabid bat as she climbed a tree outside of her family home. Cecelia 'Cece' Kale, 6, was bitten by a bat in front of her home in Tigerton, about 65 miles west of Green Bay, around 8pm last Tuesday, according to WBAY. The bat wrapped its wings around the girl's leg, as she attempted to yell for help. 'I just tried to scream and scream and scream until [my family] came,' Cece told the outlet. Elizabeth Kale, Cece's mother, said her daughter climbs trees every day but that she had quickly become 'frozen' this time around. 'I thought she was [trying to say], 'It's a bee!' Elizabeth told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 'But nothing was coming out right.' Cece was taken to the emergency room, where the Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department determined within 48 hours that the bat tested positive for rabies. Cece received the first of four rabies vaccine shots after the shocking diagnosis was confirmed. Cecelia 'Cece' Kale, 6, was bitten by a bat in her leg while climbing a tree outside of her home in Tigerton, Wisconsin, around 8pm last Tuesday Cece, pictured with her mother Elizabeth, has received the first of four lifesaving shots for rabies, which the bat tested positive for within 48 hours of the attack Cece's older brothers ended up getting the winged mammal off her with a homemade twist. Elizabeth said that Camden, 16, knocked the bat off Cece with a homemade sword. After that, 11-year-old Nicklas followed up by grabbing the device and proceeding to kill the bat. 'Nick made the homemade sword,' the mother told NBC News. 'We love Braveheart.' She added that the sword had been coincidentally made on the day of the bat attack. However, the seriousness of the situation was soon confirmed in the emergency room. Cece still has to receive multiple follow-up shots. The family opposes mandated immunizations but consented in this case, according to the report.  Elizabeth said the incident made her realize her daughter 'probably has an ancient, old virus that's 100% fatal.' 'I mean, it's, it's terrifying,' she told WBAY. 'You have all the thoughts run through your head of like, 'What if I bury my child?' she said. On Thursday, the Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department said it was not uncommon for the area to have 'at least one rabid bat a year' (Stock photo of a bat) Rabies primarily affects the central nervous system, leading to severe brain disease and death if medical care is not received before symptoms start, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A series of rabies vaccines, which can be either four or five shots, must be given as soon as possible after being exposed. The vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective, according to health authorities. Each year, around 100,000 Americans are vaccinated after a potential exposure. The Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department said Thursday that it was not uncommon for the area to have 'at least one rabid bat a year.' Still, rabies are rare in the US, with fewer than 10 deaths reported per year from the disease. Elizabeth described her daughter as 'incredibly brave,' adding that she has been handling the pain that comes with the lifesaving shots. 'We've been praying about it like crazy,' she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, Elizabeth said the bat attack did not give her second thoughts about living where she did. 'We want to live out here to give our kids land and homeschool and to raise them as we would have in 1850 and to give them that type of lifestyle,' she told NBC News. 'And they’re thriving.' The Daily Mail has reached out to the Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department for further comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.