Vets warn pet owners after rabies detected in 2 bats in B.C.

Alanna Kelly · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 20, 2026 5:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 20

Veterinarian clinics in Whistler and Campbell River are warning B.C. pet owners to watch out for bats after two of the winged animals tested positive for rabies this summer.

Dr. Jordie Schnarr said it's been an odd year for bat activity overall in the Sea-to-Sky region, with her Whistler clinic having handled about 25 bat-pet run-ins so far, up from a few in a typical year. They handled six incidents on Tuesday alone.

Even more concerning, Schnarr said, is that one of the four bats they sent in for testing this year came back positive for rabies. The results for two others are still pending.

“[It's] definitely a change from what would be considered normal here,” she said. “Normally, we send a bat like once every five years."

A bat also tested positive in Campbell River near Willow Point on July 24, a vet clinic there has warned.

Asked about that incident, Island Health said in a statement that a single positive case "is not considered unusual on its own.”

But there has been an unusual rise in bat sightings, according to bat ecologist Paula Rodriguez de la Vega with Community Bat Programs of B.C. She said the group believes wildfires are displacing the animals.

According to Rodriguez de la Vega, the bats are suffering from smoke inhalation and decreased insect availability.

“We are getting a lot of reports of bats in distress [and] dead bats,” she said.

Leave bats alone

Schnarr said most of the bat encounters happening in Whistler have been indoors and that humans, in addition to pets, have been facing increased exposure.

“[It's] something we take really seriously. It is fatal if left untreated."

She noted even pets and humans that have been vaccinated against rabies need quick treatment after exposure. Pets, she said, need a booster shot within seven days.

WATCH | Vet warns of rabies-positive bat in Whistler:

According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, about 0.5 per cent of bats carry rabies in B.C.

Rodriguez de la Vega said people and pets can only get rabies through direct contact with infected bats.

"Do not touch it. Do not disturb it," she said.

If someone finds a bat at their house, she suggested leaving it alone.

“It'll probably fly off in the evening, or it might stay there for a couple of days, up to a week."

If the bat doesn't fly away, Rodriguez de la Vega suggested calling an expert to help.

She noted bats are protected from being killed or harassed under the B.C. Wildlife Act, and said they can't be evicted in the middle of the summer when they're giving birth to their pups.

• Doctor warns of rabies risks — and offers safety tips — after bat exposures jump in B.C.'s Interior

Bat ecologist Aaron Aguirre said he hopes the public doesn’t demonize the entire group.

“[Bats] are doing a fantastic ecological service for nature itself, but also for us,” Aguirre said. “They take care of a ton of agricultural pests.”