Bat in Olympic National Park Tests Positive for Rabies
A bat that swooped down and got stuck in a woman’s hair at Olympic National Park has been confirmed to have rabies. This has prompted park officials to locate her and anyone else who may have been exposed to the virus, which is often fatal.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 9, close to the Staircase Rapids Trail Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge that spans the North Fork Skokomish River in the southeastern part of the park. According to the Park Service, the woman involved is at risk for rabies and is advised to seek medical attention right away and reach out to the Mason County Health Department.
It’s possible she wasn’t the only one who encountered the bat.
“The bat also swooped at other visitors nearby, and it’s uncertain if anyone else had contact with it,” the Park Service noted in a news release on Wednesday.
Anyone who might have come into contact with a bat in that area—even if they don’t remember being bitten—should connect with a healthcare provider and local health authorities, officials said. Bat bites can be very small, almost invisible, and might not hurt.
Questions from the public about the bat’s recovery and testing process, potential exposure timelines, and the last reported rabid bat in the park went unanswered by park officials.
While rabies is quite rare in humans, it becomes deadly once symptoms appear. The virus typically spreads through bites or scratches from infected animals or when infected saliva gets into open wounds or mucous membranes.
Bats are the only mammals known to carry rabies in Washington, as reported by the state Department of Health. Although it’s estimated that less than 1% of wild bats are infected, testing shows that about 3% to 10% of tested bats have rabies. This higher rate is likely because the bats sent for testing often show signs of illness or have already interacted with humans or pets.
In the last 75 years, Washington has recorded only two human rabies cases, both stemming from the bat variant. A tragic incident in 1995 involved a 4-year-old girl who died after a bat was discovered in her room, and in 1997, a 64-year-old man also passed away, though the source of his exposure was never identified.
A more recent case on the West Coast highlighted the dangers of seemingly minimal encounters with bats. In 2024, a California middle school teacher succumbed to rabies approximately a month after being bitten by a bat in her classroom.
Other national parks have faced similar concerns. Last summer, health officials were tasked with locating guests linked to over 230 reservations at the Grand Teton National Park’s Jackson Lake Lodge after a bat colony was found near guest rooms. Several visitors had spotted bats inside, but the captured bats tested negative for rabies, leading to fewer than 10 guests receiving post-exposure vaccines, as officials couldn’t completely rule out exposure.
For those potentially exposed, rabies can be prevented with timely treatment. For individuals who have not been previously vaccinated, treatment generally involves rabies immunoglobulin and a series of four vaccine doses over a two-week period. Health experts emphasize that the sooner treatment starts, the better, though a delay doesn’t necessarily mean it’s too late to seek help.
Despite the warnings, officials want to reassure the public that most bats in Washington are healthy and play vital roles in the ecosystem by controlling insect populations, pollinating, and dispersing seeds.
Visitors to the park are urged not to touch or interact with bats, whether they’re alive or deceased. If encountered, it’s best to maintain distance and alert park staff. Additionally, if pets come into contact with bats, contacting a veterinarian is recommended.
