Yosemite National Park announced last week that a dead bat found outside the Curry Village Showerhouse last May had tested positive for rabies.
The announcement came four months after the big brown bat was discovered, long after such an announcement would be particularly meaningful to the public.
The park’s statement said there was no known human contact with the bat, but still encouraged anyone who had direct contact with a bat in Curry Village around that time to get in contact with their health provider or the California Department of Health (CDPH).
The bat was collected as part of a “routine wildlife surveillance program,” the park said.
Rabies is very rare in humans, but almost always fatal once symptoms appear one to three months after exposure.
Public health officials warn that bat bites and scratches can be so small they may not be painful, or even visible.
But rabies can easily be prevented if people get medical care soon after a possible exposure, which makes timely public health notices especially important.
Why the park announced the rabies infected bat four months after it was found is not clear. The turnaround time for testing at CDPH is usually three days.
Responding to the park’s warning on social media, many people were stunned by the delay.
“If someone contracted rabies from the bat way back on May 18, that person is likely dead by now,” said one visitor.
In July 2025, a bat tested positive for rabies after it fell out of a tree and on to a hiker on the Mist Trail in Yosemite .
In September 2025, a cat caught a rabid bat at an undisclosed location in Mariposa County.
In 2024, there were eight reported cases of rabies in Mariposa County. Those cases involved seven bats and one coyote.
In November 2024, a school teacher died from rabies a month after she was bitten by a bat she picked up in a classroom in Dos Palos in Merced County.
In California, about 200 wild animals — mostly bats and skunks — test positive for rabies every year.
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