Overview
- The 2025 total trails only 2021’s 68 and aligns with a decade-long rise in rabid bat detections, according to county health officials.
- About 14% of bats that contact people or pets test positive countywide, with positivity rising to roughly 33% during late-summer peaks.
- Rabid bats have been confirmed across the county, including the San Fernando Valley, downtown buildings, parks, schools, businesses and residential backyards.
- The Santa Clarita Valley has recorded the most cases over the past decade, often involving the Canyon Bat species.
- Residents are urged not to handle bats, to report and have bats collected for testing, to keep pet rabies vaccinations up to date, and to seek medical advice after any possible exposure, as neighboring counties have issued similar warnings.