Rabies in bat-eared foxes was first recognized in South Africa in 1955
and is likely to have been derived from canine rabies introduced to S
outh Africa in 1950. Since then it has become established in this spec
ies in the drier western haff of the country and the south-western Cap
e so that rabies now occurs in bat-eared foxes adjacent to the peri-ur
ban canine population of Cape Town. Peak incidence was recorded in the
early 1980s and the incidence is seasonal with most cases occurring i
n winter.