Hundreds of travelers who stayed at the picturesque Jackson Lake Lodge cabins in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park are now being urgently contacted by health officials after a significant rabies scare involving bat infestations. The story, first reported by the Associated Press and confirmed by multiple outlets, has rippled far beyond the park’s boundaries as authorities scramble to reach guests from 38 states and seven countries who may have unwittingly spent their nights in close proximity to rabies-carrying bats.
The trouble began in late July, when the Grand Teton Lodge Company discovered that eight of its cabins—numbers 516, 518, 520, 522, 524, 526, 528, and 530—had been colonized by dozens of bats nesting in the attics. According to Dr. Alexia Harrist, Wyoming State Health Officer, “What we’re really concerned about is people who saw bats in their rooms and people who might have had direct contact with a bat.” She warned that bat bites and scratches, especially during sleep, can go unnoticed, making the risk of rabies exposure particularly insidious.
So far, the news isn’t all bad. As of August 15, 2025, none of the bats that were trapped and tested have come back positive for rabies. But here’s the rub: only a handful of dead bats were sent to the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory for testing, and these are thought to represent just a small fraction of the colony that had taken up residence above guests’ heads. Many bats were shooed out through open doors and windows, while most of the colony remained hidden in the attic, never making their way into the living spaces. As Dr. Harrist emphasized, “There’s no way for us to know for certain about every single bat that got into these rooms.”
The cabins had only reopened in May 2025 after their usual winter closure, and by the time the infestation was discovered and the cabins were vacated on July 27, roughly 500 people had passed through, according to estimates based on about 250 reservations. The challenge now is immense: contacting every single guest who might have been exposed. For those from abroad, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is helping coordinate notifications.
Rabies, a virus that affects the central nervous system, is almost invariably fatal in humans once symptoms appear. Early signs—fever, headache, discomfort at the bite site—can take anywhere from weeks to months to emerge. Once the disease progresses, confusion, muscle spasms, and the classic symptom of hydrophobia (difficulty swallowing) can set in, with death typically following within days. Yet, there’s a silver lining: if medical care is received before symptoms start, rabies can be prevented. As Dr. Harrist noted, “A five-shot prophylactic regimen over two weeks soon after exposure is highly effective in preventing illness.”
Health officials are urging anyone who stayed in the affected cabins—even if they haven’t been contacted yet—to reach out to health authorities or their healthcare provider immediately. Prophylactic vaccinations are being recommended for those who fit certain risk profiles, such as deep sleepers who awoke to find a bat in their room or children too young to reliably report a bat sighting. The concern is that a child or a heavy sleeper might not notice a bite or scratch, which can be tiny and easily overlooked. “Health officials were recommending prophylactic shots for people who fit certain criteria, such as deep sleepers who found a bat in their room, and children too young to say that they had seen a bat,” reported the Associated Press.
Despite the scare, officials have been quick to reassure the public that there is no ongoing safety concern for visitors to the lodge area—including those planning to attend the high-profile Federal Reserve economic policy symposium scheduled for August 21-23, 2025. Emily Curren, Wyoming’s public health veterinarian, praised the lodge company’s diligence, saying, “The lodge company has done a fantastic job of doing their due diligence of making sure everyone that is coming in for that, and for all other visits this year, are going to be as safe as possible.”
Of the bats found, all were brown bats, which are common in Wyoming and typically live in colonies ranging from 30 to 100. According to Curren, “Three or four” dead bats from the cabins tested negative, and one that was too mangled didn’t have enough brain tissue to be tested. While officials aren’t sure whether the bats were the smaller or larger brown bat species, both are known to be prevalent in the region. The National Park Service, for its part, has decided against exterminating the bats. Instead, devices have been installed on the buildings to prevent bats from re-entering the cabins after they fly out to feed on insects at night. As park spokesperson Emily Davis explained, these measures are meant to be humane while still protecting public health.
The risk of rabies transmission from bats is not hypothetical—bats are one of the two most common vectors for the disease in Wyoming, alongside skunks. According to the Grand Teton National Park website, “Rabies is a virus that can spread to mammals, including people. Rabies mostly affects the central nervous system and leads to severe brain disease and death if medical care is not received before symptoms start.” The virus is generally transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, either via a bite or a scratch. The danger with bats is that their bites and scratches are so small they can easily go unnoticed, especially if someone is asleep.
Historically, thousands of rabies cases are reported in animals across the U.S. each year, but human infections are rare, with only one to three cases annually. Still, the consequences are so dire that “potential exposure is treated very seriously,” as the National Park Service notes. Post-exposure treatment—an immunoglobulin vaccine followed by a series of shots—is most effective when administered promptly after exposure and before symptoms develop. “Anyone who has potential exposure to the rabies virus must receive an immunoglobulin vaccine before symptoms appear, as, once they do, the disease is invariably fatal,” reported the Mirror.
For now, the affected cabins remain closed, and health officials are urging vigilance and swift action from anyone who might have been exposed. With the summer travel season coming to an end and the world’s eyes briefly turning to Jackson Lake Lodge for the Federal Reserve gathering, the incident serves as a sobering reminder of the hidden risks that can lurk even in the most idyllic settings. The hope is that, thanks to rapid public health intervention and the cooperation of park authorities, this scare will end with no human cases and a lesson learned for both travelers and the hospitality industry alike.
