County health officials are urgently trying to track down anyone who may have handled two wild bats in Escondido last weekend, after tests confirmed both animals were infected with rabies. People who had direct skin contact with either bat are being urged to seek medical advice. One bat turned up in a grassy area near the White Oak Villas condominium complex last Saturday, and the other was found Sunday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Where The Bats Were Found
According to the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, the first bat was recovered from a grassy spot near the White Oak Villas condo complex and taken in by the San Diego Humane Society. The second bat was discovered on a rock wall outside the Okavango restaurant at the Safari Park and was collected by a trained park staff member. Laboratory testing confirmed rabies in both animals. County officials say these are the fourth and fifth rabid bats detected locally so far this year.
County public health officials are looking for people who may have come in contact with two bats found at separate locations in Escondido that later tested positive for rabies. https://t.co/MulxPzxKmy
— SD HHSA (@SDCountyHHSA) March 25, 2026
Risk And What Officials Recommend
Guidance from San Diego County Public Health Services explains that anyone who had direct contact with either bat, including holding, touching or any bare-skin contact, should wash the affected area thoroughly and call the Epidemiology Unit at (619) 692-8499. Health staff can help determine whether post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, is needed. The county notes that rabies can be prevented when treatment starts quickly, and that the San Diego County Public Health Laboratory carried out the confirmatory testing.
Why This Matters
“Human rabies is almost always fatal without prompt postexposure vaccination and treatment,” Dr. Sayone Thihalilopavan said in a county release, according to the County of San Diego HHSA. San Diego last recorded a human rabies case in 2001, involving a person bitten by a dog in the Philippines, based on county communicable disease data from the San Diego County annual report.
If You Find A Bat Or Think You Were Exposed
Officials say not to handle bats with bare hands, even if they appear injured or sick. For wildlife assistance, including what to do if you find a bat that needs help, San Diego Humane Society's Project Wildlife offers guidance and drop-off information and can be contacted for wildlife support, according to the San Diego Humane Society. The Safari Park has stated that visitors who did not have physical contact with the bat found on-site are not considered at risk. General park details and visitor information are available from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
