This photo available under a Creative Commons license shows a male silver-haired bat captured in Ozark National Scenic Riverways in 2010. Wednesday, a bat found in Douglas tested positive for rabies, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced. (Larisa Bishop Boros)

Bat found in Douglas tests positive for rabies

No report of rabies exposure to people, according to Department of Fish and Game.

A bat found in Douglas tested positive for rabies, Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Thursday afternoon. It’s the first time a bat in the Juneau area has tested positive, according to wildlife veterinarian Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen, who works for the department.

There is no report of any at-risk exposure to rabies to people, according to the Department of Fish and Game.

State wildlife biologist Roy Churchwell, based in Douglas, said in a news release the bat was found during the daytime Sunday crawling on the grass outside an apartment building in Douglas.

“Sometimes a healthy bat may become disoriented and will be seen in the daytime, but will fly off and find cover,” he said. Juneau Police Department Animal Control and Protection was notified, as was Churchwell. The person pushed the bat in an open box without touching it and left it outside overnight; it did not leave and Churchwell collected it Monday morning. It was euthanized and sent to Beckmen in Fairbanks.

Beckmen, who leads the department’s health and disease surveillance program, tested the rabies-positive bat on Wednesday. Through the program, testing is conducted on six to 10 bats each year, according to the department. In over 45 years of rabies testing, nearly 200 bats have been examined, and the bat in Douglas is just the sixth to test positive, according to the Department of Fish and Game.

All six rabid bats were found in Southeast Alaska and were either found dead or euthanized. The last bat to test positive for rabies in the state was found in 2015 about 25 miles west of Juneau at Point Couverden, according to the Department of Fish and Game. The other four cases were on Prince of Wales Island, near Ketchikan and near Wrangell.

Beckmen said if a bat is acting sick or abnormal or is out in the daytime, don’t handle it with bare hands, and contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Anyone who may have been bitten or scratched by a bat, including someone who may have been asleep in a room with a bat and potentially had contact, should contact a health care provider immediately to be evaluated. If you a bat is found in your home and no one has been in contact with it you can visit the Department of Fish and Game website to learn how to safely release it and report your observation. A list of contacts for area offices and more information on bats can be found by visiting adfg.alaska.gov.

Contact the Juneau Empire newsroom at (907)308-4895.

More in News

KTOO, Juneau’s public radio station, is photographed in Juneau, Alaska, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Public radio facing cuts as Congress moves to pull back funding

KTOO could lose one-third of its budget if the House passes a bill cutting funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting

Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo
The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14.
Ships in port for the week of July 19

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2025 schedule.… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, July 17, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire File)
Hiker rescued from gully at Eaglecrest

The woman got stuck in a gully after taking a wrong turn

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, July 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Dimond Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska, is seen in this undated photo. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file)
Juneau man pleads guilty to murder of infant

James White pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of 5-and-half-week-old Kathy White

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Megan Dean shakes hands with the new Arctic District commander Rear Admiral Bob Little on Friday. Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, commander of the Pacific Area, smiles. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
US Coast Guard receives new commander, new name for Alaska

The Arctic District’s new icebreaker will visit Juneau next month

City and Borough of Juneau City Hall is photographed on July 12, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire file)
Municipal election candidate filing period opens July 18

The filing period runs from July 18 at 8 a.m. to July 28 at 4:30 p.m.

The Mendenhall River roars more than 13 feet above normal levels in August 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Suicide Basin predicted to fill by Aug. 8

The change in the prediction of when the basin will fill was based on heavy rain last week

Most Read