Dead bat tests positive for rabies at Yosemite National Park’s Curry Village, park confirms

By Tim Fang

Officials at Yosemite National Park said that a bat found dead in Yosemite Valley earlier this year had rabies.

In a statement Wednesday, park officials confirmed that a “dead big brown bat” tested positive. The bat was found outside the Curry Village Showerhouse on May 18.

Officials said no human contact with the infected bat has been reported. Visitors who may have had direct contact with a bat in Curry Village around that time are urged to contact the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and their healthcare provider.

“Bat bites and scratches can be very small and may not always be visible or painful. Direct contact with a bat also includes on top of clothing or if a wing brushes the skin or hair,” park officials said.

The bat was the second one in a year to have tested positive for rabies in Yosemite, with the last rabies-positive bat being discovered in July 2025. Officials said a “very small percentage” of bats tested from the park each year have rabies.

Yosemite is home to 17 species of bats, according to the park.

Park officials urged visitors not to touch or handle bats or other wild animals. Anyone who encounters a bat, dead or alive, should keep their distance and notify park staff.

A rare but serious disease, rabies is caused by the rabies virus, which infects the brain. People and animals almost always die once symptoms begin, but the disease is preventable if one seeks medical care right away.

According to CDPH, rabies has been reported in 17 people in California since 1980, with the most recent case in 2024.