Los Angeles, October 28, 2026 – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recently issued a release on October 23, that it is investigating a second rabies-positive raccoon in the Westlake Village area of LA County in the vicinity of where the first raccoon was reported and appeared sick and aggressive. No residents or pets were exposed to the raccoon.  

Earlier in the month, Public Health reported the first rabid raccoon found in the County in more than 50 years, and confirmed that it was positive for a variant of rabies typically found in bats. Strain testing for the second raccoon is currently pending. 

Keeping You and Your Pets Safe

• Never touch, handle, or feed any bat or wild animals
• Keep a safe distance from wildlife and contact LA Animal Services at 888-452-7881, if you encounter an animal that appears to be sick, injured, or behaving unusually.
• Ensure your pets are up-to-date on rabies vaccination so they are protected before any potential exposure. Keeping your pets vaccinated is one of the most important steps to protect your pets and family from rabies.  

Rabies can affect both wild and domestic animals. In the United States, most reported animal rabies cases occur among wildlife, particularly bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes. People become infected through contact with infected animals, including pets or wildlife.  



What to do if you or your pet are bitten

• If you are bitten by a wild mammal (raccoon, skunk, opossum, coyote, etc.), seek medical advice immediately and report to Public Health: Rabies is preventable with post-exposure prophylaxis, a series of timely vaccines.
• If your pet is bitten by a wild mammal (raccoon, skunk, opossum, coyote, etc.), seek veterinary care and immediately report to your local animal control and Public Health. Your pet will need a rabies vaccine and will need to temporarily quarantine at home for observation. 

Rabies is a nearly 100% fatal viral disease in people and animals caused by the rabies virus. It is most commonly transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal, or when saliva from a rabid animal comes into contact with an open wound or mucous membranes (such as the eyes, nose, or mouth). The virus affects the central nervous system. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal; however, timely administration of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after a potential exposure is highly effective at preventing disease.

Know the Symptoms 



• In people: initially vague symptoms including fever, weakness, headache; progressing to tingling sensation, anxiety, agitation, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, difficulty swallowing, coma, death.
• In animals: initially non-specific signs (vomiting, respiratory distress) progressing into neurologic signs – circling, difficulties walking, behavior change, aggression, paralysis, hydrophobia (fear of water), death.

For more information about rabies, visit: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/rabies/about/