2 bats dead in park positive for rabies

Two bats found dead in the Grand Canyon National Park have tested positive for rabies, state park officials said.

The bats, identified as “canyon bats,” were found last month along the Colorado River in the national park, according to a Grand Canyon National Park news release.

They did not come into contact with any park visitors or staff.

So far this year, 94 animals have tested positive for rabies in Arizona, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. In 2018, there were 160 such animals and 155 in 2017.

In Coconino County, where the Grand Canyon is located, 21 animals have tested positive for rabies so far this year while Maricopa County has had four animals positive for rabies, according to state health officials.

According to park officials, rabies is preventable if medical treatment called post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, is given following a person’s exposure to a rabid animal. Rabies is almost always fatal if PEP is not given prior to the development of symptoms, they said in the news release.

People can contract rabies if they come in contact with an infected animal’s saliva, such as through a bite or scratch, the release stated.

Grand Canyon National Park officials advise visitors to:

❚ Never approach or touch wildlife. If you see sick or erratic-behaving wildlife, notify a park employee or call the park’s 24-hour emergency communications center at 928-638-7805.

❚ In areas where pets are allowed, pets should be vaccinated and kept on a leash at all times.

❚ Teach children to tell an adult if they are bitten or scratched by an animal.

❚ Anyone who has had contact with a bat or other wild animal should notify a park employee as soon as possible.

❚ While camping on a river trip, sleep in a tent for protection. Public health officials should be contacted if a bat is found in a room where a person was sleeping.

❚ Bats should never be handled by untrained or unvaccinated people.