Bat Flies Into Tourist's Mouth During Arizona Stargaze—$20K Rabies Bill Follows

Erica Kahn flew from Massachusetts to Northern Arizona last August hoping to capture the Milky Way’s silver swirl above the red rocks—only to wind up swallowing part of the wildlife instead.

The father-daughter sky-shooting ritual—now in its tenth year—was going as scripted: tripods set, cameras rolling, meteors streaking overhead. Then, faster than a shutter click, a bat shot straight into Kahn’s mouth, pinned momentarily between her face and the camera strap looped around her neck.

"I felt wings, maybe a head—honestly, I was too busy spitting out fur to take inventory."

She isn’t exaggerating; rabid bats are Arizona’s 28-species surprise party, often swooping near water or bright lights—the exact spots stargazers flock to.

Knowing bats are the leading culprit in human rabies deaths (CDC: 7 out of 10), Kahn tore down her setup and sped to the ER for a pricey post-exposure prophylaxis cocktail.

Plot twist: her newly purchased insurance—signed the day before—didn’t cover it thanks to an obscure 30-day waiting period. Final souvenir? A $20,000-plus bill, roughly three nights at the Four Seasons—minus the featherbed.

Kahn, now between jobs, isn’t just licking her financial wounds; she’s using interviews to spotlight what she calls America’s "bat-out-of-hellcare system."

Travel tip: if it screeches and has teeth, maybe aim the lens the other way.