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 come forward if they had contact with a wild bat after the animal tested positive for rabies.

A deceased wild bat was recovered outside the Oasis on the Rocks restaurant on July 11. It later tested positive for rabies, according to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

"Safari Park visitors who had no physical contact with the bat are not at risk for rabies," the park told Fox News Digital.

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County health officials are asking anyone who may have had direct contact with the bat to come forward for evaluation. 

The bat was not part of the Safari Park's animal collection — and officials said no human contact has been reported.

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

This marks the 19th bat to test positive for rabies in San Diego County this year. Twenty-one bats tested positive during all of 2025, according to county officials.

"Rabies is an extremely serious viral disease, one of the deadliest, with [a] nearly 100% fatality [rate] if not caught early enough," said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, the county's deputy public health officer, in a statement. 

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"We are investigating to ensure anyone who came into contact with the bat receives care quickly. Once symptoms start, there is no treatment for rabies," Kadakia said.

Wildlife experts say the incident serves as a reminder that people should never handle bats, even though they play an important role in the environment.

"There are over 20 different species of bats living in San Diego County, and these animals are a huge benefit to our region's gardens and farms, eating up to 1,000 mosquito-sized bugs per hour," Dr. Alexis Wohl, wildlife veterinary manager at the San Diego Humane Society, told Fox News Digital.

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"Although it's rare for bats to carry rabies, it is important to exercise caution and not handle them with bare hands," Wohl said.

Dr. Brian Collins, a veterinarian with the Cornell Riney Canine Health Center, based in New York, said bats are one of the primary carriers of rabies in the United States and account for most human rabies cases.

"If a bat is encountered in public, it is very important not to touch it," Collins told Fox News Digital.

Instead, he recommended keeping people and pets away from the animal and notifying property management, animal control or local law enforcement.

"If you know or suspect that you have had physical contact with the bat, you should wash the affected area with soap and water for 10 to 15 minutes," Collins said.