A summer getaway in one of America’s most iconic national parks has taken a dark and unsettling turn. Hundreds of travelers who stayed in rustic cabins at Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park may have been exposed to rabies after repeated encounters with bats.
The potential scope of the exposure is staggering. Officials estimate that at least 200 guests, hailing from 38 states and seven countries, could have come into contact with the animals between May 15 and July 27.
Employees of the lodge are also being contacted as part of the investigation. The Wyoming Department of Health, working with the CDC and the National Park Service, is now urgently reaching out to all who may have stayed in the affected cabins to determine if they need rabies prevention treatment.
The alarm was triggered after eight reports of bats inside guest rooms since June, leading officials to shutter the cabins on July 27. Testing of a small sample of the animals has not revealed rabies so far — but experts are quick to point out that this provides little reassurance.
Wyoming State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist warned that “dozens” of bats may be colonizing the attic of the lodge, and the sample tested may not be representative.
The concern is not academic. Bats are the most common carriers of rabies in the United States and the leading cause of rabies-related deaths nationwide, according to the CDC. Because bat bites can be so small they sometimes go unnoticed, even the mere presence of a bat in a sleeping area can trigger the recommendation for preventive treatment.
That treatment, while effective, is not trivial. Rabies vaccinations involve a series of shots that can cost thousands of dollars — in some cases as high as $16,000.
The idea of families who came to Grand Teton for hiking, wildlife, and postcard-perfect views now weighing the risks and costs of rabies prophylaxis underscores just how serious the episode has become.
For the moment, no confirmed rabies cases have emerged among the bats or the guests. But the situation is a reminder of how quickly nature can intrude into the world of recreation, and how fragile the line is between wilderness and human habitation.
