Dr. Hilary Quinn: Bats Deserve Respect & Protection but Carry Risk of Rabies

Some time ago, I was perusing my local Nextdoor feed and came across a post about bats.

The post was meant to raise awareness that bats are important species that deserve our protection and care. As a lover of all creatures great and small, I couldn’t agree more.

Bats provide tremendous ecological benefit, including pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal. Bats can eat thousands of insects, up to 40-100% of their body weight, in a single night.

They are also just plain fun to watch – I love sitting on my patio as the daylight disappears, watching them swoop and dive in pursuit of their tiny prey.

However, that particular NextDoor post and the attending comment section were quite misleading in the suggestions of what to do when bats are encountered.

Bats do deserve our respect and our protection, but they absolutely should never be handled by anyone other than a professional (such as an animal services officer, or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.)

Bats fly by dropping into the air from their roost or ledge; they are not well equipped to attain flight from the ground due to their unique anatomy.

This means that a bat found on the ground is not likely a healthy bat. There are numerous reasons a bat may be sick or injured, but the primary zoonotic concern is the infamous rabies virus.

In honor of recent rabies exposures popping up in the news, and World Rabies Day, which is on Sept. 28, this seems a timely topic to discuss.

Bats are consistently the dominant reservoir species for rabies in our state. According to data collected from January through August 2026, of 252 animals in California that tested positive for rabies, 92% were bats.

In Santa Barbara county, we have had four positive bats this year, and Ventura county has had 22 positive bats year-to-date. (County of Los Angeles has had 29, for comparison, and San Diego has had 38 so far).

Of the total number of bats tested after being encountered by community members, the percentage that tests positive for rabies is roughly 20% in our area. This is a big number, especially when you consider that rabies is nearly uniformly fatal in humans once contracted.

Any mammal can be affected by rabies, but bats, foxes, racoons, skunks just happen to be the usual suspects. Unfortunately, our pet dogs and cats can also be infected.

Please be extremely cautious if:

You find a bat during daytime hours, or found on the ground, even if brought to you by a pet dog or a cat.
You see any wild animal that is unusually tame or unafraid.
You witness an animal that is aggressive, uninhibited, or agitated.
You see an animal having trouble walking, eating, or drinking.

If you do encounter any of these circumstances, never handle a found bat (even with a towel). Do not try to handle, befriend or pet any wild animal that appears friendly or tame.

Immediately contact your county animal services, or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

If your cat or dog brings you a dead or injured bat, please do not touch the bat. If the bat is alive and in your home, sequester the injured animal away from all pets and humans. Call animal services to capture and test the bat.

If you awaken to find a bat in your room with you (or any other human or pet), please consider this an exposure. Bat bite wounds are tiny, difficult to see, and often painless.

Sequester but do not touch the bat. Contact animal control and your health professional right away, as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatments are time-sensitive and highly effective when begun promptly after an exposure.

If your dog or cat has been in contact with (even just scratched) by a wild animal, please contact your veterinarian right away.

If your pet is current on their rabies vaccine, a booster will likely be given, and a short in-home quarantine will be necessary under the guidance of the expertise of your local animal services agency.

If your pet is overdue or has never received a rabies vaccine, and there has been possible exposure, contact animal services and your veterinarian for next steps.

The good news: rabies is still exceedingly rare among the overall tested population of animals. The percentage of infected individuals in the general population of bats is thought to be less than 1%.

The experts at the Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake say that “you are more likely to get struck by lightning or get hit by a car than you are to get bitten by a bat.”

And you know what they say about an ounce of prevention.

Here are some recommendations to keep you, your human family, and your furry friends safe:

Always ensure that your pet dogs and cats are current on their rabies vaccination. Rabies vaccination is required by law for dogs in California, and it is very highly recommended even for indoor-only cats.
(I will add here that not once but twice in the past six months, I’ve had bats fly into my house when I’ve left a window or door open after dusk. So yes, even those indoor kitties have some risk!)

Bat-proof your homes (sealing entry points, screens on doors and windows, not leaving your door open after dark, like this author)

Avoid coming into contact with any wild animals, and if this occurs, contact animal services and seek medical care for anyone involved, even if no bites are witnessed.

I hope this heavy topic does not leave you with a distaste for bats. Healthy active bats, darting around the evening sky, are a wonder to behold.

Consider taking in a performance of their aerial acrobatics at Lake Cachuma by the Nature Center bat boxes. The Neal Taylor Nature Center leads fascinating weekly docent-led talks through their “Going Batty” program. These take place during the warmer months spring through fall.

Bats need our protection now more than ever, as more than half the known bats species are in decline or even endangered.

For more information, see the links below on these unique flying mammals, as well as the infamous disease they would rather not be associated with (Sorry, bat friends!).

Santa Barbara Contact Numbers:

Santa Barbara County Animal Services: 833.422.8413 (or 805.683.2724 for after-hours/wildlife dispatch assistance)
Santa Barbara City Animal Control: 805.882.8900
Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network: 805.968.0561

Live Bat Exhibit – The Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake