Orange County health officials are urging hikers and pet owners to be cautious after a bat found near a trail entrance at O’Neill Regional Park in Rancho Santa Margarita tested positive for rabies — a deadly virus that can be transmitted through bites so small that people may not realize they were exposed.
The bat was discovered around 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, near the Mesa Trail gate at the park, located off El Camino Montana Road between El Lazo and Juniper Lane, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA).
Anyone who may have touched the bat — or saw someone else handle it — is asked to immediately contact the HCA Communicable Disease Control Division at 714-834-8180 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or 714-834-7792 after hours to determine whether preventive treatment is needed. Pet owners whose animals may have encountered the bat should contact their veterinarian…