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LA County says they’ve already found 69 bats with rabies. How to protect yourself and pets
Public health officials are warning of an unusually large number of rabid bats in SoCal this year.
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Carolyn Cole
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Los Angeles County is reporting the highest number of rabid bats on record, a to-date total of 69, officials said.
This year’s rabid bat count has already matched 2025’s total, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, which released the count Monday, marking World Rabies Day.
Health officials emphasized that rabid bats have been found all over the county "from suburban areas such as the San Fernando Valley to urban areas like downtown Los Angeles, in office buildings, parks, schools, businesses, and residential backyards."
That said, a large share of rabid bats — 68% of the 69 found so far — were in the Santa Clarita Valley, and they were mainly canyon bats, which are common in California.
When to be on high alert
Officials warned that a third of human encounters with rabid bats happened indoors, where the risk of exposure to the virus is higher.
Bat bites are small and can be hard to detect. Rabies can also be spread through scratches or other transfers of saliva.
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“If you find a bat indoors or think you may have had contact with one, contact your medical provider or Public Health right away,” Dr. Muntu Davis, a Los Angeles County Health officer, said in a statement. “And remember, never touch a bat or any wild animals. Immediately report any bat found indoors, or outdoors if it appears sick, active during the day, unable to fly, or dead, to your local animal control.”
Who to call
Veterinary Public Health
Phone: 213-288-7060
Email: vet@ph.lacounty.gov
Website: publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet
*Call 211 to find your local animal control
What to know about rabies
Rabies in humans is treatable with a series of vaccines. Rabies is always fatal in animals, the county said in a release, so vaccinate your pets.
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