Aspen Household Yields Five Negative Bats Amid Rabies Watch

“‘It is extremely busy for this early in the season,’ Porter said. ‘It just warmed up really fast. The five were from a single household, so that was surprising.’”

Carlyn Porter, Pitkin County’s Emergency Response and Epidemiology Program Administrator, didn’t mince words. The warmth hit the valley hard and fast, and the bats followed suit. As of Tuesday, six bats have been pulled from local homes and hiding spots, sent to Denver for rabies testing. Five came back negative. One is pending. One is still out there, hiding in a shoe at Aspen Highlands, waiting to be caught.

The question is whether this is a fluke or a pattern. Given that most rabies cases in the county are tied to the bat variant, the timing matters. Last summer, a woman was exposed to rabies after a bite near Weller Lake. That was a close call. This week, it’s a statistical anomaly.

The five negative bats didn’t scatter across the county. They came from one house in Aspen. That’s the surprise. It wasn’t a widespread infestation; it was a single household that had become a bat hotel. Porter called it an “eventful afternoon” for her team. But the risk isn’t just in the numbers. It’s in the behavior.

Four of the bats acted normal. The specimen in the flower vase in Snowmass was found by a resident over the weekend. The one in the shoe at Aspen Highlands? Its behavior sounded “weird.” That’s the red flag. Weird behavior is often the first sign of rabies in wildlife.

“It is a reality of living in the mountains,” Porter said.

But living in the mountains means dealing with broken screens. That’s the common denominator. Once a bat finds a roost, it returns. It’s not random. People hear the same voices reporting bats because the same people keep finding them. The bats are loyal to their homes.

For locals, the practical takeaway is simple: don’t assume you were bitten. Bat bites can be tiny, hard to feel, and easy to miss. You can’t just shake it off. If you have a bat in your home, you need to alert the authorities. Dr. Kelly Voss at Aspen Animal Hospital puts it plainly. “Living with bats is not normal and or safe.”

Voss stresses that testing is the only way to be sure. You can’t guess. You can’t hope. You test.

Porter recommends calling dispatch immediately. Animal control will come out. She doesn’t want you wrestling a bat in the dark. If you do it yourself, catch it when it’s not flying. Use a fluffy towel or a Tupperware container. Wear leather gloves. Don’t smash it. Don’t freeze it. The brain needs to be intact for the test in Denver.

The five bats that tested negative were found in that one Aspen house. The Snowmass specimen is still pending. The one in the shoe is still loose. The county is watching. The bats are moving. And the screens? They need checking.

“It is a reality of living in the mountains,” Porter said. But it’s also a reality of paying attention.