Public health officials say Los Angeles County is experiencing an alarming influx of rabid bats — matching the highest number ever recorded before peak season is even over.
But experts who study the pointy-eared winged creatures say that, although residents should practice caution, the odds of getting rabies from a bat remain very low.
Earlier this week, officials said they’d detected 69 rabid bats, matching last year’s record. However, peak season — which occurs at the end of the summer and the beginning of fall — is still underway.
Of the 69 rabid bats recorded this year, 68% were found in the Santa Clarita Valley, consistent with trends seen over the last decade, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Most of the rabid bats were canyon bats — a species that is common to deserts, woodlands and shrublands, where they roost among boulders or in the cracks and crevices of rock faces, according to Bat Conservation International.
Officials believe rabies may be circulating intensely within that local population.
“If one bat has rabies, it’s possible to spread it to other members of the colony if they’re a particularly social species,” said Joseph Nikko Curti, a postdoctoral fellow in the Blakey and Tingley labs at Cal Poly Pomona and UCLA, respectively.
Rabid-bat detections vary from year to year, but Los Angeles County has seen a steady upward trend in the number of rabid bats for more than a decade.
“Bats are an important part of our environment, but they can be infected with and spread rabies, a disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear,” said Dr. Muntu Davis, Los Angeles County health officer. “If you find a bat indoors or think you may have had contact with one, contact your medical provider or Public Health right away.”
What is rabies? Is it treatable?
Rabies is a rare but serious viral disease that can infect the brains of both people and animals, according to the California Department of Public Health.
In California, bats and skunks are the animals that most often get rabies, according to the state health department. An infected animal can pass rabies to another animal or to a person through its bite, but that’s not the only way it can be transmitted.
Exposure can occur any time saliva or tissue from the infected animal enters the body, such as through a bite or a scratch, or contact with a wound or the mouth, nose or eyes, according to the Public Health Department.
Signs that a bat may be rabid include the creature being active during the day, or if it is found on the ground or unable to fly.
Rabies is preventable if you seek medical care immediately after exposure to a rabid animal. Bats in particular have very small teeth and may not leave a mark when they bite; you should still seek medical attention.
If your doctor decides that you could have been exposed to rabies, treatment may include a series of rabies vaccination shots, which will prevent rabies symptoms, illness and death.
Post-exposure rabies vaccination usually involves two to four doses and is administered in the arm, just like a flu shot.
Rabies infects very few humans in the United States and California, according to the state public health department. Since 1980, rabies has been reported in 17 people in California, most recently in 2024.
Yes, there are lots of bats living in Los Angeles County
There are 21 different bat species that live in Southern California.
With the construction of homes, stadiums and other buildings throughout the county, bats have adapted to roosting in spaces such as the eaves of homes or in crawl spaces, Curti said.
“They’re in downtown Los Angeles; you go to Dodger Stadium, they’re in the floodlights,” he said. “You can see bats foraging for insects.”
Bats are invaluable in agriculture, gorging on pests that target crops — corn earworms, brown stink bugs, cucumber beetles and more.
In their role as nighttime pollinators, they distribute pollen from the flowers of numerous food-producing plants, carrying it on their fur and faces, according to the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources division.
“They’re primarily insectivorous here in the United States, and so they’re just going out to eat, and they’re performing this vital function for us,” Curtis said. “Which I think is awesome.”
What to do if you encounter a bat
In recent years, about 17% of bats encountered by people or pets in L.A. County tested positive for rabies, rising to as high as 33% in late summer, according to public health officials.
To reduce the chance of a bat encounter in the home, bat-proof it:
- Search any openings that are one-quarter-by-one-half inch or larger (including electrical and plumbing holes) and apply caulk.
- Install heavy-duty wire mesh over vent openings.
- Ensure all doors to the outside close tightly.
- Always use window screens and chimney caps, and install draft-guards beneath attic doors.
If a bat is inside your home, Curtis said, you should immediately open the windows and turn on all the lights. Never touch a bat with your hands.
Some people might want to turn off the lights in this situation, he said, but that sends the wrong message. The bat will think, “Oh, look at this lovely cave that’s just been created …. let me just roost up in here,” he said.
If the bat doesn’t exit your home on its own, there are two resources you can call:
- Los Angeles Bat Rescue: The nonprofit will send someone to remove the bat. Call (310) 365-5656.
- Los Angeles County Animal Care & Control: The South County Communication Center can be reached at (562) 940-6898, and the North County Communication Center is at (661) 940-4191.
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