Rabid bat found near zoo restaurant sparks urgent public health warning: 'Extremely serious'

Visitors to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are being urged to travel guardant if they had interaction with a chaotic bat aft the carnal tested affirmative for rabies.

A deceased chaotic bat was recovered extracurricular the Oasis connected the Rocks edifice connected July 11. It aboriginal tested affirmative for rabies, according to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

"Safari Park visitors who had nary carnal interaction with the bat are not astatine hazard for rabies," the parkland told Fox News Digital.

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County wellness officials are asking anyone who whitethorn person had nonstop interaction with the bat to travel guardant for evaluation. 

The bat was not portion of the Safari Park's carnal postulation — and officials said nary quality interaction has been reported.

Visitors to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (not pictured) are being urged to travel guardant if they had interaction with a chaotic bat aft the carnal tested affirmative for rabies. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

The bat was tested by the County Public Health Laboratory, which confirmed it was affirmative for rabies, San Diego County noted.

This marks the 19th bat to trial affirmative for rabies successful San Diego County this year. Twenty-one bats tested affirmative during each of 2025, according to region officials.

"Rabies is an highly superior viral disease, 1 of the deadliest, with [a] astir 100% fatality [rate] if not caught aboriginal enough," said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, the county's lawman nationalist wellness officer, successful a statement. 

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"We are investigating to guarantee anyone who came into interaction with the bat receives attraction quickly. Once symptoms start, determination is nary attraction for rabies," Kadakia said.

Wildlife experts accidental the incidental serves arsenic a reminder that radical should ne'er grip bats, adjacent though they play an important relation successful the environment.

People should ne'er grip bats, adjacent though they play an important relation successful the environment, said experts.  (iStock)

"There are implicit 20 antithetic taxon of bats surviving successful San Diego County, and these animals are a immense payment to our region's gardens and farms, eating up to 1,000 mosquito-sized bugs per hour," Dr. Alexis Wohl, wildlife veterinary manager astatine the San Diego Humane Society, told Fox News Digital.

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"Although it's uncommon for bats to transportation rabies, it is important to workout caution and not grip them with bare hands," Wohl said.

Dr. Brian Collins, a veterinarian with the Cornell Riney Canine Health Center, based successful New York, said bats are 1 of the superior carriers of rabies successful the United States and relationship for astir quality rabies cases.

The bat was not portion of the Safari Park's carnal collection, and officials said nary quality interaction has been reported. (Amy Sparwasser/iStock)

"If a bat is encountered successful public, it is precise important not to interaction it," Collins told Fox News Digital.

Instead, helium recommended keeping radical and pets distant from the carnal and notifying spot management, carnal power oregon section instrumentality enforcement.

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"If you cognize oregon fishy that you person had carnal interaction with the bat, you should lavation the affected country with soap and h2o for 10 to 15 minutes," Collins said.