A 6-year-old girl was bitten by a rabid bat while playing outside of her Wisconsin home — and her brave brothers butchered the creepy critter with a homemade “Braveheart” movie-inspired sword.
Cecilia “Cece” Kale was on a tree at her family’s home in Tigerton last week when the rabid animal swooped in and chomped on her left thigh, NBC News reported.
The girl’s brothers, Nicklas, 11, and Camden, 16, jumped in to swat away the bat before massacring it with a makeshift blade inspired by “Braveheart,” a 1995 Mel Gibson film, their mother, Elizabeth Kale, told the outlet.
“And here comes Camden and he’s like, ‘No!’ and he’s got the pole and he just knocks [the bat] off [Cece] and then Nicklas grabs it, and he just starts killing the thing,” she said. “Nick made the homemade sword. We love ‘Braveheart.’ ”
The bat later tested positive for rabies, and Cece received life-saving shots less than 48 hours after the attack. Her mother noted that the family typically opposes mandated immunizations, the outlet said.
The virus is nearly 100% fatal without treatment, but the 5-dose vaccine regimen is nearly completely effective in preventing death.
The Shawano-Menominee County Health Department confirmed in a statement that the rabies case is the first in the county this year.
“While it is not uncommon for Shawano County to have at least one rabid bat a year, this positive rabies result is an important reminder that this fatal disease is present in our community’s wildlife,” the health department said.
Early symptoms of rabies may include irritability, headache, fever, double vision, and itching or
pain at the exposure site.
The terrifying disease eventually progresses to spasms of the throat and the muscles used for breathing, convulsions, delirium, paralysis, and death.
Once rabies symptoms begin, the virus cannot be treated, according to health experts.
The department urged people to ensure their pets are vaccinated against rabies and to stay away from wild animals, especially those who are acting abnormally.
Elizabeth said Cece does not appear to be fazed by the alarming attack.
“She’s just so brave and has a stronger constitution than the rest of us,” she told NBC.
The case comes after a study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal revealed that an 11-year-old boy who woke up to find a bat on his face in the summer of 2024 later died of rabies — despite no warning signs that he had been scratched or bitten.
