Walter Finch
HEALTH authorities in Catalunya have issued an urgent warning urging residents to avoid all contact with bats following a spike in potentially dangerous encounters across the region.
Officials recorded 22 incidents involving bats in the first seven months of 2025, making up a quarter of all reported animal attacks so far this year.
The Catalan Department of Health stressed that residents must never touch bats, even if they appear harmless or injured, due to the risk of contracting rabies – a disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms develop.
Bats are the main carriers of the endemic European rabies virus in the region, with health data showing that 21% of all animal bites or scratches reported in Catalonia are considered high-risk for potential infection.
READ MORE: This is the most beautiful town to visit in Spain this August, according to National Geographic
The warning comes as summer months see the highest number of animal encounters, with attacks typically peaking between June and August when both humans and animals are more active outdoors.
Of the 88 total animal attacks recorded in Catalonia this year, dogs accounted for the largest share with 38 incidents, followed by the 22 bat encounters.
However, unlike domestic animals, bats pose a unique rabies threat as they can carry the deadly virus without showing obvious symptoms.
READ MORE: BREAKING: Wildfire breaks out in Spain’s Mijas, prompting helicopter emergency response
Rabies spreads through the saliva of infected animals via bites, scratches or contact with mucous membranes.
While there is no risk of contracting rabies from native land animals such as dogs, cats and ferrets in Spain, the sporadic presence of infected bats has been confirmed across Catalonia.
Health officials emphasised that immediate medical intervention is crucial following any bat encounter. Treatment requires rabies immunoglobulin and vaccination after exposure, but once symptoms appear, there is no cure and the disease becomes fatal.
The health department’s data shows that 63% of animal encounters reported this year needed urgent medical attention due to the risk of infection.
More than 100 animal attacks on humans are typically reported to the Catalan Epidemiological Surveillance Network each year, with summer consistently proving the most dangerous season for such incidents.
READ MORE: Animal abuse horror after cat is thrown out of car and repeatedly run over in Spain
It’s important to note that no human rabies cases have been confirmed in Catalunya or Spain in recent years, with the country remaining free of terrestrial rabies alongside neighbours such as Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and others.
The health warning is purely precautionary following potential exposure incidents, as authorities take a zero-tolerance approach to any possible rabies risk.
Click here to read more Catalunya News from The Olive Press.
