Bat Colony found in Grand Teton Lodge, perhaps exposing hundreds to rage

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File – The Grand Teton mountain range is seen from Jackson Lake Lodge on September 27, 2022 in Jackson Lake, Wyoming. Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming and just south of Yellowstone National Park. AP

Hundreds of people could have been exposed to rage during their summer vacation in the Grand Teton National Park.

A bat colony was recently discovered in the attic in a popular lodge.

Bat Colony at Jackson Lake Lodge

The background:

Since June 2, Grand Teton Lodge Company has received eight reports involving night guests who may have been exposed to bats in the rooms of Jackson Lake Lodge, said National Park Service.

What they say:

Dr. Alexia Harrist, the head of health of the state of Wyoming told the local Jackson Hole News & guide that the management had received enough guest reports that health officials determined that it was not single-shaped bat in the rooms.

NPS said on August 8 that a suspected colony of bat had recently been discovered in the attic space above several friends of friends of the Jackson Lake Lodge.

What is the next step:

The Wyoming Ministry of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention evaluate the risk that certain guests were exposed to rage in bats.

For the context:

A bite or a scratch of a bat to a human is considered an exposure to bats with rage, as well as physical contact with a bat. A person who cannot confirm or communicate a potential exposure – such as a child, a deep sleeper or a person who is mental altered or on drugs that modify the mind – can be considered at risk.

Dig more deeply:

The bat teeth are small and a bite may not bleed or be visible or painful. A person may not realize that an exposure has occurred or cannot think that a bite or a scratch requires medical care.

State representatives directly contact the recent guests to see if they had an exhibition at a bat while staying in one of the rooms under the colony.

The NPs did not yet say if bats in the region had been tested positive for rabies.

What you can do:

If you stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge between May 5, 2025 and July 27, 2025 and you think you have been exposed to a bat, contact Grand Teton Lodge Company in roomsgtlc@vailrsorts.com or 307-543-3044.

You can also get more information here.

Grand Teton National Park

Local perspective:

Grand Teton National Park is an American national park in northwestern Wyoming and just south of Yellowstone National Park. About 310,000 acres, the park includes the main heights of the Teton range 40 miles long as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole.

Rabies vaccine

Overview:

Rage is deadly if people do not receive medical care before the symptoms start. In the United States, about two people die every year from rage, According to the CDCAnd around 100,000 Americans are vaccinated against rabies following potential exposure each year.

Contact with infected bats is the main cause of death of human rage in this country; At least seven in 10 people who die from rage in the United States have been infected with bats, According to the CDC.