A bat infected with rabies was found near the baseball field at Brenner Park on Thursday, Aug. 27, the second rabid bat discovered in Pasadena this year.

The Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD) said the bat was spotted around 1:30 p.m. near the park at 235 Barthe Drive, at the corner of Mountain Street and Barthe Drive. No human rabies cases have been reported, and the department said the overall risk to the public remains low.

"Bats can carry rabies and should never be handled," Manuel Carmona, PPHD director of public health, said in the department's announcement. "Community members should avoid contact with and immediately report injured, ill, or dead bats."

Brenner Park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The department did not say whether any person or pet had contact with the bat.

The first rabid bat of 2026 was found near the intersection of South Grand Avenue and Del Rosa Drive. PPHD announced that finding on April 30, when Carmona called it "the first bat to test positive for rabies in Pasadena this year."

Dr. Parveen Kaur, PPHD health officer, said rabies can be transmitted through a bite or even a scratch from the tooth of an infected animal, posing a risk to both humans and pets. She called contact between people or pets and a rabid bat "a very serious health concern" and described rabies as a life-threatening disease that requires timely preventive medical treatment. Kaur said all contact with bats and other wild animals should be strictly avoided.

Anyone whose skin touches a bat should wash the area immediately with soap and water and seek medical care, according to the department. Animal bites should be discussed with a medical provider as soon as possible. Residents whose pets have been exposed should contact an emergency veterinarian.

Residents who find a dead or dying bat on the ground should not handle it. Instead, they should call Pasadena Humane at (626) 792-7151 for collection.

Colorado Boulevard first reported the PPHD announcement.

PPHD directs residents to the CDC's rabies page for more information.