An elite California college town has issued urgent warning to residents after a surge of rabid bats found in the area.
Five bats have tested positive for rabies in the quaint college city of Berkley so far this year, according to a recently released memo from the city.
The cases represent a sharp increase from previous years, with two or fewer rabid bats reported locally in each of the previous six years.
No human cases of rabies have been identified, but a cat in the nearby city of Pleasanton tested positive for rabies in June 2026.
Rabies is treatable in humans if caught early before symptoms arise, but is almost always fatal without early treatment. Cases of rabies in humans are rare, with fewer than 10 deaths reported yearly in the U.S.
In 2024, a California teacher died from rabies after being bitten by a bat she found lying inside her classroom.
The memo advises residents not to touch or handle bats, and bat-proof their homes by sealing gaps and opening spaces where the creatures could enter.
If a bat is found alive or dead either indoors or outdoors, the city has urged residents to not touch the bat, and contact Alameda County Vector Control Services at (510) 567-6800. I
f you are bitten or scratched by a bat, you should thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water for 15 minutes, the memo says.
On Wednesday, Yosemite National Park officials revealed that a bat found in the park in May had tested positive for rabies.
“As part of routine park operations, deceased bats with no known human contact, are collected and later tested to monitor wildlife disease that circulate naturally within bat populations. A very small percentage of bats tested from Yosemite National Park are positive for rabies each year,” officials said.
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