Caution encouraged as bats increase Aspen’s rabies exposure

June means bat season in Pitkin County, which means the chance of rabies exposure is increasing.

After a rabies training for animal control with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment’s zoonotic team last week, Pitkin County Emergency Response and Epidemiology Program Administrator Carlyn Porter is raising local awareness for community members to be vigilant.

While there have only been three local bats that have tested positive for rabies in the past eight years, Porter said the county isn’t out of the woods. 

The county can’t always capture and test the individual bats, in addition to there currently being no surveillance of bats without exposure cases. Because of this, there could be many more bats positive with rabies.

“It definitely seems like we’re having more cases of exposure,” she said. “I think the likelihood of having a human exposure has gone up.”

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Additional exposure risks have gone up, as well, including dog bites that are happening more frequently in the area, bear and mountain lion scratches, and fox attacks.

But Emily Casebeer, Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office community response officer, said that she’s received calls for dog bites this year with no rabies exposure due to the fact that all dogs had been vaccinated.

“It highlights the importance of vaccinating your dog for rabies,” Casebeer said. “It’s definitely a requirement of Pitkin County.”

Any carnivore has the potential to be a vector for rabies, but Porter confirmed bats are particularly susceptible to spreading the viral disease because they breed rapidly and live in close quarters. Their hibernation period also fosters a proliferation of diseases.

Bats can also successfully get into homes pretty inconspicuously, she said, through very small window screen holes or air conditioning vents. And bat bite marks are what she called “minuscule,” so they can be difficult to identify.

Lara Xaiz, wildlife coordinator for the city of Aspen, underscored this.

“It’s always a possibility that someone could have been bitten in their sleep and not know it,” Xaiz said.

Anyone who wakes up with a bat in the bedroom is considered exposed to rabies and is recommended to seek medical attention.

“We do err on the side of caution,” Porter said of that recommendation. “Bats that are found indoors are more likely to have rabies … and it’s a virus that’s nearly fatal 100% of the time.”

Sick bats typically tend to exhibit strange behavior. As an example, she said she once received a call from someone who woke up with a bat crawling on them. 

And bats aren’t the only animals who can change behavior with rabies. Animals that appear friendlier — like foxes acting like puppy dogs or raccoons being what she called “charming” — can potentially be rabid.

While strange behavior can also be credited to other things, like the fungal disease white nose syndrome in bat colonies, it’s still something to note and be cautious of. 

Porter and Xaiz also warn against attempting to self-capture a bat inside and risking further exposure to people and pets. Porter noted exposure calls received frequently involve cats and dogs and echoed Casebeer’s sentiment that vaccinating pets is critical.

For anyone who thinks they have been bitten by or wakes up in a room with a bat, Porter and Xaiz recommend calling Animal Control or dispatch at 970-920-5310.

“The public should never handle a bat,” Xaiz said. “Either a (community response officer) or I will take care of it from there.”