By SDCN Staff
Escondido, CA–County public health officials are urging residents to come forward if they may have had contact with two bats found at separate locations in Escondido that later tested positive for rabies.
The first bat was discovered around 4 p.m. on March 21, in a grassy area near the White Oak Villas condominium complex. The bat was retrieved by the San Diego Humane Society.
The second bat was found March 22, shortly after 10 a.m., on a rock wall outside the Okavango Restaurant at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Officials emphasized the bat was not part of any park exhibit and noted that visitors who did not touch the animal are not at risk.
Testing by the County Public Health Laboratory later confirmed both bats were infected with rabies, marking the fourth and fifth rabid bats identified in the county this year.
“Human rabies is almost always fatal without prompt post-exposure vaccination and treatment,” said Sayone Thihalilopavan. “Rabies can be transmitted through a bite or when an infected bat’s saliva enters a cut, scrape, or the eyes, nose or mouth.”
Health officials emphasized that rabies symptoms can take weeks to months to appear, but once they begin, the disease is almost always fatal. However, prompt medical treatment following exposure is highly effective at preventing illness.
Authorities are reminding the public to avoid contact with bats and other wildlife. Anyone who has direct contact with a bat should immediately wash the affected area with soap and seek medical advice.
Rabies remains rare in humans due to widespread prevention efforts. California’s most recent human case occurred in 2024, involving a Fresno County resident exposed to a bat in Merced County.
Officials also noted that bats play an important role in the local ecosystem, helping control insect populations and, in some species, pollinating plants.
Anyone who may have had direct contact with a bat in either location–near White Oak Villas or the Safari Park–is urged to contact County Public Health Services as soon as possible at (619) 692-8499.
