Home / Health / Bat-Infested Cabins Spark Rabies Scare in Grand Teton National Park
Bat-Infested Cabins Spark Rabies Scare in Grand Teton National Park
16 Aug
Summary
- Hundreds may have been exposed to rabies in national park
- Bats found colonizing cabins at Jackson Lake Lodge
- Officials working to contact visitors from multiple states and countries
On July 27, 2025, health officials in Wyoming warned that hundreds of people may have been exposed to deadly rabies after bat-infested cabins were discovered in Grand Teton National Park. Eight cabins at the Jackson Lake Lodge were found to have been teeming with bats, with dozens of the animals discovered in the attic space above the cabins.
While none of the bat samples have yet tested positive for rabies, officials are now working to contact people from 38 states and 7 countries who may have had "direct contact with a bat" during their stays in the affected cabins. Dr. Alexia Harrist, the Wyoming State Health Officer, explained that visitors may have been bitten or scratched by the bats in their sleep, with the relatively small wounds potentially going unnoticed.
The cabins have been shut down since the infestation was identified, and health authorities are urging anyone who stayed in cabins 516, 518, 520, 522, 524, 526, 528, or 530 this year to immediately notify their doctors. Rabies is a deadly disease, and post-exposure treatments are most effective when administered soon after potential exposure.
