A lethargic bat was also found in Berkeley in 2023. Credit: Reza Sirafinejad A bat infected with rabies was found near the intersection of Dwight Way and Martin Luther King Jr. Way earlier this fall.
Berkeley Animal Care Services received a report of a “lethargic” bat on the front porch of a private residence on Sept. 27.
When workers with the city’s animal care department arrived to retrieve the bat, it was already dead, city spokesperson Maitée Rossoukhi wrote in an email. Animal care sent the bat to the California Department of Public Health’s Viral and Rickettsial Lab in Richmond for analysis, where it tested positive for rabies. City workers have taped at least one rabies alert sign on a pole in the neighborhood in response.
“There may be other rabid bats still undiscovered,” the alert reads. Should you encounter an ill or injured bat, you’re asked to call 510-981-6600 to report it to the city’s animal shelter. Do not touch, or allow children or pets to come into contact with, bats or any other animals “exhibiting strange or unusual behavior,” per the alert.
Read the full alert and accompanying rabies fact sheet. (Spanish version)
Isolated rabid bat cases are a periodic occurrence in Berkeley and the rest of Alameda County.
According to the Alameda County Public Health Department, between 2001 and 2019, 83 bats and 9 skunks tested positive for rabies in Alameda County. Berkeley has had four confirmed rabid bat cases since 2020, according to Rossoukhi. The most recent bat case occurred in Central Berkeley in May 2023, when a Berkeley resident and his 4-year-old daughter discovered a sickly bat on the back stairs of their home.
City environmental health specialist Ron Torres, who wrote the rabies alert, did not respond to Berkeleyside’s interview request.
“If you’ve had cases in your neighborhood, I would be very leery about letting your animal … or pet roam freely without some type of supervision,” Torres told Berkeleyside in 2023.“You as a pet owner know your pet, and if your pet is acting strange or a little off, that’s already a sign that maybe you should have it looked at.”
The Centers for Disease Control says bats are the most commonly reported animal to have rabies in the U.S. Some unusual behaviors to look out for include bats that are active during the day, found in unusual places (inside a home or on the ground), or unable to fly or can easily be approached, according to the CDC.
If you suspect that you have been exposed to rabies, the CDC recommends you seek medical care immediately — a treatment known as post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, can save your life “if administered promptly.” The viral disease, transmitted in the saliva of infected mammals, is fatal once symptoms start.
Rabies symptoms in humans typically start 4 to 6 weeks after exposure, and start with a sense of apprehension, headache, fever and malaise before progressing to paralysis, muscle spasms, confusion, convulsions and death, according to the city’s fact sheet.
Berkeley has no existing records of someone dying of rabies, Rossoukhi said. Berkeley has not received any reports of human rabies cases since 2000.
Preventing rabies infections
The city recommends you take the following protective measures against animals that can transmit rabies:
1. Vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies, as required by the city for all dogs 4 months and older. Older dogs need to be re-vaccinated every three years.
2. Confine dogs to property — especially puppies under 4 months old since they are not protected against rabies. Follow leash rules.
3. Report any animal bites of humans or any close contact between dogs or cats with skunks or bats or other wild animals to the City of Berkeley Animal Control Services.
4. Avoid wild animals or domestic animals which are strays or which run loose, as they are dangerous. Do not feed, pet or care for wild animals by hand, even if they are sick or injured.
5. Do not attract skunks or raccoons with food. They will eat garbage, fruit, vegetables, and especially dog and cat food. Pet food left outside is a strong invitation to wildlife. Keep garbage cans covered with tight-fitting lids.
6. Do not provide shelter for skunks and other wild animals. Close all openings under your home and other buildings. Keep foundation vent screens in good repair. Eliminate piles of trash, rocks, wood, hollow logs, heavy growth of vegetation and other possible hiding places.
7. Do not provide shelter for bats. Close, seal, or screen all openings so there is none greater than 1/4″ in size, especially at roof level. Install 1/4″ screens on attic vents and maintain them in good repair.
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