Circumstances of rabid bats found in 2009
1. Found dead inside of a suitcase after a person returned home from a camp.
2. Found weak but alive on the ground in the parking lot of a grocery store.
3. Found in the walkway of an apartment complex, clinging to the wall two inches above the ground.
4. Seen in daylight on the side of a condo for several hours. A cat was reaching for the bat but did not touch it.
5. Seen in daylight on the floor of a porch, later seen on the ground in a driveway, hissing at a person.
6. Found in airplane hangar.
7. Found on ground in a backyard unable to fly.
8. Found hanging in daylight just outside front door.  Bat tried to fly into house when door opened.
9. Flew into house at dusk, flew around several well-lit rooms, was caught with clean jar (air holes put in lid for ventilation).
10. Two bats flew into apartment. First bat was found and removed right away. Second bat found three days later on floor, weak.  The second bat tested positive for rabies.  Two people required rabies post-exposure treatment because they had been sleeping in a room with a bat for three days and an undetected bit may have occurred.
11. Bat found outside a veterinary clinic. Child picked up with bare hands and showed to siblings. The one child needed treatment for rabies exposure.
12. A bat found in airplane hangar (same location as bat #6).


Bats and Rabies.
Bats are the animal that most commonly carry rabies in our county. Most bats do not have rabies, and try to avoid contact with people and pets. Bats are good for the environment because they eat insects and pollinate plants. Bats are also protected by law.

Bats seen flying in daylight, or found on the ground, are more likely to have rabies. Never touch a bat or other wild animal. If you pick up a bat with your bare hands, you may be bitten and exposed to rabies.

Bats that bite a person or pet should be tested for rabies. The bite mark from a bat can be very small and hard to see. Bats that are found indoors near a sleeping person, young child, adult that cannot speak, or pet should also be tested for rabies.   In these cases, try to gently trap the bat without touching it (such as covering it with a bucket), and call your local animal control agency. To see a list of local animal control agencies, click here. You should also talk to your doctor and/or veterinarian in these situations.

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Links about rabies
Centers for Disease Control - Rabies pages

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Webpages
              Local Rabies Overview
              Rabies Control  Manual
              Human rabies

To see a map of all rabid bats found in Los Angeles County from 2000 through 2010 click here.

Last updated February 16, 2010