This slumber party bites.
Nearly 200 people who paid to take part in a sleepover event at a zoo in Nebraska are being urged to get rabies shots — because they may have been exposed to a rabid bat, according to officials.
A camper awoke at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha on July 4 and spotted one of the disease-carrying mammals flying near her head, the zoo said Friday.
The woman wasn’t scratched or bitten, but the zoo later found seven wild bats — including one that tested positive for rabies — inside the venue and said up to 186 people may have been exposed.
“The bats we identified were little brown bats, a common bat species in Nebraska that anyone could find in their backyard or attic,” said Doorly Zoo Animal Health Director Dr. Sarah Woodhouse. “It is not unusual for a wild bat to be infected with rabies, which is why you should never directly touch a wild bat.”
The zoo gave campers who slept over between June 30 and July 4 refunds and is paying for their shots.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the bats got into the venue, but staffers didn’t find any signs of long-term bat roosting, officials said. The zoo has since moved overnight camping events elsewhere.
![Inside the Bat Cave, part of the Kingdoms of the Night exhibit.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/3194652197_cfb5837f01_b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=681)
Animal lovers who visited the aquarium during the day need not fear infection because bats come out only at night, Woodhouse said.
In recent months, the zoo has offered shark-centric overnight “Sleeping Bag Safaris.” It ranks among the world’s top five aquariums, according to its Web site.