Ventura County has recorded 27 rabies-positive bats as of Sept. 16, more than four times the total for all of 2024. Health officials are urging residents to stay away from bats and keep pets vaccinated.
Ventura County Public Health and Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) issued a joint statement on Friday, Sept. 18, calling the trend a serious concern with nearly four months left in the year. The countywide dog rabies-vaccination requirement applies to Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Westlake Village, and officials said now is the time for pet owners to check their animals' records.
The numbers have climbed steadily: four rabies-positive bats in 2021, six in 2022, four in 2023, six in 2024 and 22 in 2025.
Bats are the animals most commonly found with rabies in California, according to the joint statement. The disease attacks the brain and nervous system and spreads through an infected animal's saliva, usually by a bite or scratch. Once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal, but prompt medical care after exposure can prevent death.
The risk is not hypothetical.
In 2024, a Fresno County resident died from rabies after handling a bat in Merced County about a month earlier, according to the statement. That was California's first reported human rabies death since 2012.
Esteban Rodriguez, director of Ventura County Animal Services, said in the statement that pet owners should ensure their animals' vaccinations are current. "Pets that spend time outdoors may come into contact with infected wildlife," Rodriguez said. "Vaccination helps protect not only the animal, but also the people they live with."
Ventura County requires all dogs to be vaccinated against rabies countywide, covering every city and unincorporated area. Cats must be vaccinated in Moorpark and Oxnard. VCAS offers low-cost rabies vaccination clinics at locations throughout the county.
The agencies urged residents who find a bat, dead or alive, not to touch it and to keep children and pets away. Anyone bitten, scratched or in direct contact with a bat should wash the area with soap and water and contact a health care provider immediately. If a pet has contact with a bat or other wild animal, residents should call their veterinarian and VCAS.
The warning comes as rabies exposures rise statewide. Edhat reported on Tuesday, Sept. 15 that the CDC has warned of growing risk in California.
Residents who find a bat or need assistance can reach Ventura County Animal Services at (805) 388-4341.
