Rabies surge puts bats in spotlight

A regional surge in rabies cases among bats — including four confirmed rabid bats in Thousand Oaks this year — is putting local wildlife and public health back in the spotlight as the 805 area heads into peak bat season.

The Thousand Oaks Acorn (Newbury Park) reported that Los Angeles and Ventura counties are both seeing elevated numbers of rabies-positive bats in 2026, with infected animals turning up in cities across the region, from Westlake Village and Calabasas to Simi Valley and Camarillo. For Newbury Park residents, who live within one of the most bat-active corridors in Ventura County, the message from health officials is simple: never touch a bat, and report any that appear sick, behave strangely, or turn up indoors.

Record numbers on both sides of the county line

On Sept. 28 — World Rabies Day, an annual observance focused on preventing the viral illness — the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced that 2026 has already matched the record for rabid bats detected in a single year in that county, with the peak bat season still underway. Sixty-nine rabid bats have been confirmed in L.A. County so far this year, including one found Aug. 22 on a sidewalk near Village Center Road and Greengate Court in Westlake Village's First Neighborhood, and two in Calabasas — one discovered alive but sluggish near a home's front door in April, another found outside a home in September in an incident that may have exposed a dog.

Ventura County's numbers are similarly elevated. As of Sept. 21, 28 rabies-positive bats had been found countywide, according to an animal services spokesman cited by the Acorn — more than 22% of all bats tested this year. Four were found in Thousand Oaks, nine in Simi Valley and eight in Camarillo. County animal services officials said rabid bats are "very likely" present in Moorpark as well, given its proximity to Simi Valley.

Last year was also unusually high, with 22 confirmed cases in Ventura County, according to the Acorn. Before that, the annual counts were far lower: six in 2024, four in 2023, six in 2022 and four in 2021.

Why the increase?

Health officials have not identified a definitive cause for the dramatic rise. Possible contributing factors cited include warmer, drier conditions affecting food availability and bat behavior; increased reporting as public awareness of rabies grows; and development pushing people into closer contact with wildlife.

In L.A. County, rabid-bat detections have been trending upward for more than a decade, with positive specimens found in a wide range of settings — from San Fernando Valley neighborhoods to downtown offices, parks, schools, businesses and homes. In August alone, 24 bats tested positive for rabies there, roughly 32% of those reported by residents. Late summer is typically peak season.

One detail deserves particular attention for households: health officials say about one-third of bat encounters occur indoors, where the risk of exposure is greater.

"Bats are an important part of our environment, but they can be infected with and spread rabies, a disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear," L.A. County Health Officer Muntu Davis said in a statement, urging anyone who finds a bat indoors or believes they had contact with one to contact a medical provider or public health department immediately.

What Newbury Park residents should watch for

Residents should report any bat found indoors, or found outdoors if it appears sick, is active during the day, is unable to fly, or is dead, to local animal control. Officials stress never to touch a bat or any wild animal — rabies exposure can occur through a bite or scratch, and bat bites can be small enough to go unnoticed, which is why indoor finds are treated especially seriously.

Signs of rabies infection in pets can include sudden behavior changes, excessive drooling, slight fever and progressive paralysis. The disease is almost invariably fatal in animals once symptoms begin, but it is preventable through vaccination.

The vaccination rules vary depending on where you live. Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies under California state law. Cats are not covered by a statewide mandate, but vaccination is required for cats in unincorporated L.A. County and in the cities of Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Westlake Village and Moorpark, according to the Acorn. Ventura County pet owners in areas without a local cat requirement should nonetheless talk to their veterinarian, since the current surge shows the virus is circulating widely in local bat populations.

People who may have been exposed to rabies can be vaccinated after a bite or scratch — post-exposure treatment is highly effective when given promptly.

Perspective on the risk

For all the alarming numbers, human rabies remains exceedingly rare in the United States. Ventura County has never recorded a human case, and the last locally acquired human case in L.A. County was in 1949, after a 24-year-old man was bitten by his own rabid dog.

The practical takeaway for Newbury Park residents isn't panic — it's precaution. Bats play an important ecological role, consuming insects and pollinating plants, and the vast majority never test positive. But with rabid bats confirmed in Thousand Oaks this year and detections running at or near record levels across both counties, keeping pets current on vaccinations, bat-proofing homes, and knowing how to report a suspicious bat are the steps officials say make the difference.

As bat season continues through the fall, county animal control agencies remain the point of contact for any suspected rabid animal, and residents with possible exposures should contact a health care provider immediately.