Health Alert: Rabid Bat Found at Buttermilk Falls State Park

Published on August 27, 2025

Buttermilk Falls

(ITHACA, NY, August 27, 2025) –  Tompkins County Whole Health (TCHW) is reporting that a bat found approximately 50 meters away from the swimming area on Lower Buttermilk Gorge Trail at Buttermilk Falls State Park, in Ithaca, NY on Friday, August 22, 2025, was determined to be rabid by the New York State Rabies Laboratory. The bat was reportedly first seen on the ground acting unusual at around 11:30AM and was later removed by Park Staff around 1:00PM.  

At this time, there have been no reports of human contact with this bat.  If you, your pets, or someone you know, have had contact with a bat, please call Tompkins County Environmental Health at (607) 274-6688.

TCWH reminds everyone to:

  1. Avoid contact with any unfamiliar cats or dogs and any wild animals.
  2. All cats, dogs and ferrets must have initial rabies vaccinations administered no later than four months of age.  Keep vaccinations current!
  3. Report the following incidents to the Tompkins County Environmental Health at 607 274-6688:
  • All animal bites or scratches.
  • Any human or pet contact with saliva or other potentially infectious material (brain tissue, spinal tissue, or cerebro-spinal fluid) of wild animals or any animal suspected of having rabies.
  • All bat bites, scratches, or any mere skin contact with a bat, or a bat in a room with a child, or sleeping or impaired person.

Bats can be a carrier of the rabies virus, which is a serious, potentially fatal disease. A small number of rabid bats are confirmed in Tompkins County every year. If a bat is found in your home and it is possible that contact has occurred with any human or pet, it is important to avoid the serious, potentially fatal, risk of rabies by safely capturing the bat and submitting for laboratory testing. Laboratory testing can rule out the risk of rabies infection and rabies post-exposure treatment for the person who was exposed will not be necessary. If the bat is found in a public area, if it is found near a pet, a child, a sleeping person, or someone with a sensory impairment, or you are not sure if contact occurred, capture the bat and contact TCWH’s Environmental Health Division, 24/7, at 607-274-6688.

 

Tompkins County Whole Health: envisioning a future where every person in Tompkins County can achieve wellness. Find us online at: https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/health and follow us on Facebook, Instagram or X. Sign up to receive Whole Health updates or other county announcements via email or text.  

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