A wild bat infected with rabies was found at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Wednesday, and county public health officials are looking for people who may have come in contact with the animal.
The bat — which isn't part of the Safari Park's collection — was at the base of the park's only public elevator, located in the African Loop near the hot air balloon ride, just before 11 a.m., according to the county.
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WATCH HERE"A trained staff member collected the bat safely," Fernanda Lopez Halvorson with the County of San Diego Communications Office wrote in a Friday news release. "The County Public Health Laboratory confirmed the bat was infected with rabies."
The county is urging any park visitors who were in the area of the elevator and stairs around that time and touched the rabid mammal to contact County Public Health Services at 619-692-8499. People who didn't touch the bat are not at risk for rabies, according to the county.
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SIGN UP Since January, county officials say they have identified three rabid bats.
"Human rabies is usually fatal without prompt post-exposure vaccine and treatment," Dr. Ankita Kadakia, county interim public health officer, said in a news release. "Rabies transmission can happen from a bat bite or if a bat's saliva comes in contact with a cut or abrasion, or with mucous membranes, such as eyes, nose or mouth."
If you come in direct contact with a bat, the county says to wash the affected area with soap and water and to seek medical advice as soon as possible.
