(Santa Ana, CA) — A bat found at Rancho Santa Margarita Lake has tested positive for rabies. The bat was found on the ground near a walking path around the lake on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Anyone who may have had physical contact with this bat or saw someone else having contact with the bat is asked to call the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) Communicable Disease Control Division at (714) 834-8180 to determine the risk for rabies. This phone line is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Owners of pets who may have had contact with this bat should contact their veterinarian.
The rabies virus is found in an animal’s saliva and is transmitted to people by a bite from a rabid animal. Although very rare, contamination of the eyes, mouth or an open wound by the saliva of a rabid animal can also transmit rabies. Most cases of human rabies in the United States in recent years have resulted from bat strains of rabies; bats have very small teeth, and their bites may go unnoticed…