Bat Colony Discovered at Grand Teton National Park Lodge Leaves Hundreds of Guests Potentially Exposed to Rabies

Health officials in Wyoming are alerting hundreds of guests who stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park about a bat colony that was recently found, which could have exposed them to rabies.

An alert on the Grand Teton National Park page on the National Park Service (NPS) website says the possible exposure happened between May 5 and July 27.

Since July 27, the cabins have not been used and will remain closed after the Grand Teton Lodge Company discovered the bat problem, according to the Associated Press.

The bats were found in an attic above guest rooms 516, 518, 520, 522, 524, 526, 528, and 530 at the lodge.

Since June 2, Grand Teton Lodge Company has received eight reports from overnight guests who may have come into contact with bats in the rooms.

There were about 250 reservations in the affected rooms through late July, so health officials think up to 500 people might have stayed there, the Associated Press reported. Guests came from 38 states and seven countries.

So far, tests on a few bats from the eight cabins have not found rabies as of Friday, Aug. 15. However, many bats have not been tested, and some were released through doors and windows, the Associated Press reports.

State health officials are contacting guests directly to see if they were exposed to a bat in the affected rooms and if they need rabies preventive treatment.

“The whole reason we’re doing this outreach investigation is because we can’t rule out rabies with 100% confidence,” Wyoming state public health veterinarian Emily Curren told SFGATE. “We are reaching out to people to assess them individually under the sort of governing principle that rabies would be the worst-case scenario.”

Saliva from a bat, a bite, a scratch, or any physical contact with a bat is considered a potential rabies exposure, according to the NPS.

“What we’re really concerned about is people who saw bats in their rooms and people who might have had direct contact with a bat,” Wyoming State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist said Friday, per the Associated Press.

Guests who meet the risk criteria for rabies exposure will be connected with the right provider in their home state for preventive treatment.