--- title: Dead Squirrel in California Tests Positive for Plague description: A dead squirrel found last month in Lake Tahoe, Calif., has tested positive for the plague, authorities said on Friday. canonical: https://time.com/4025945/squirrel-plague-california/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-09T00:03:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T10:46:27.925Z article:section: Health og:title: Dead Squirrel in California Tests Positive for Plague og:description: The plague is naturally present in some parts of California, authorities said og:url: https://time.com/4025945/squirrel-plague-california/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3338744ac4ea066c/698862a835ba6f8bf7c0f10b/lake-tahoe-nevada.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3697 og:image:height: 2080 og:image:alt: Lake Tahoe nevada og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dead Squirrel in California Tests Positive for Plague twitter:description: The plague is naturally present in some parts of California, authorities said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3338744ac4ea066c/698862a835ba6f8bf7c0f10b/lake-tahoe-nevada.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Dead Squirrel in California Tests Positive for Plague > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators.  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Sep 9, 2015 12:03 AM UTC  Lake Tahoe viewed on March 17, 2014, in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Lake Tahoe viewed on March 17, 2014, in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. George Rose—Getty Images  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Sep 9, 2015 12:03 AM UTC A dead squirrel found last month in Lake Tahoe, Calif., has tested positive for the plague, authorities said on Friday. The squirrel’s body was discovered on Aug. 17 at a picnic area adjacent to the Tallac Historic Site and sent to a state laboratory for testing, El Dorado County health officials said in [a statement.](http://www.edcgov.us/PublicHealth/Press%5FReleases/2015/Squirrel%5FTests%5FPositive%5Ffor%5FPlague%5Fin%5FSouth%5FLake%5FTahoe%5FArea.aspx) Warning signs have been posted in the affected area, advising individuals to report any dead or sick rodents. Authorities said they are not aware of any human contact with the squirrel. “Plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including higher elevation areas of El Dorado County, so we need to be cautious around animals that can carry it,” said Karen Bender, a supervisor with the El Dorado County Environmental Management Division. Two human cases of the plague have been reported in California so far in 2015, according to El Dorado County authorities. 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