Countywide

A record number of rabid bats is expected in San Diego County this year, say county animal control officials, who stress that people should avoid any contact with bats, dead or alive.

Seven cases of rabies in bats have been detected in San Diego County this year, according to Dr. Hubert Johnstone, county veterinarian. Because most rabies cases are reported in the latter half of the year, Johnstone said he expects the number of cases to reported this year to exceed the record of 16 set last summer.

It is believed that 2% to 3% of San Diego County’s bat population is carrying the disease, Johnstone said, adding that bats can be found in all areas of the county, even nesting in the palm trees that line city streets.

However, Johnstone said the increased incidence of rabies among these bats is not cause for alarm, only caution.

“The problem is that people have picked (bats) up thinking they were dead and have found that (the bats) had enough life left to bite them on the finger,” he said. “We have occasions where people will catch (diseased bats) and try to tame them or treat them. This is not a good idea.”

Johnstone advises any resident who finds a bat that appears to be rabid to push the animal into a container with a stick and take it to the county veterinarian’s office at 5555 Overland Avenue to be examined.