Rabid Animals Found in Wayne, Hatboro
A fox and a skunk have both tested positive for rabies.
In the last several days, two wild animals in the Philadelphia area have tested positive for rabies.
An injured fox found Monday in Wayne in the area of the 400 block of E. Lancaster Ave. tested positive, according to the Department of Health. (Read more about this incident on Radnor Patch.)
And a skunk found on the 600 block of S. York Rd. in Hatboro, Montgomery County, tested positive for the disease on Thursday. (Read more about that incident on Upper Moreland-Willow Grove Patch.)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say you can’t tell a rabid animal just by looking at it. The indication it might be rabid comes from unusual behavior, which could be any number of things, from being overly aggressive to acting tame. The only well to tell for certain is to have the animal tested.
Anyone who may have come into contact with a potentially rabid animal should reach out to the Pennsylvania Department of Health so that the department can help determine the extent of exposure and whether there is a need for rabies vaccination.
Exposure includes having been bitten, scratched, or had saliva, nervous system fluid or tissue from an animal enter a person’s open wound or mucous membranes such as eyes, nose or mouth. Under these circumstances, individuals should seek immediate medical attention.
David Curran
9:48 am on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Unusual behavior would also include nocturnal animals being out during daylight hours. Just a couple of days ago my brother saw a scraggly fox cross Bridge St at Church St at 10 am.
Please make sure your pets have had their rabies xhots
Marc
10:03 am on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Actually, that is not necessarily unusual. Many of these animals are nocturnal but when they live in residential areas they can be easily startled by human behavior and the become active.
Mark Chester
10:03 am on Friday, April 27, 2012
I have seen a scraggly fox twice during the daytime on Washington Avenue within the past week.
Marc
9:58 am on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Here's some additional information that might be useful and a web address:
1. Raccoons, groundhogs, and bats are also "rabies vector species" (RVS)
2. The only way to test for rabies in the animal is to examine the brain tissue (PA Dept. of Health)
3. As this is the beginning of "baby season", if you find abandoned babies of any of the RVS species be careful to always have gloves on if you need to handle them and don't let your pets near them. If you handle one of these animals and you are not protected, the protocol is to have the animal euthanized and sent to the Dept. of Health for testing. A little caution will obviate the need to have the animal destroyed.
4. Go to this website for additional info. www.diamondrockwildlife.org
birdfan
12:59 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
we see foxes all the time in daylight. They cross our back yard going in and out of the woods behind the house often. Mostly in the Mornings. I suppose they wake up hungry.
Marc
6:01 pm on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Lucky you. I believe the correct term for foxes is crepuscular which means that they prefer dawn and dusk (twilight hours).
MCMA
1:04 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
I live in Newtown Square and the end of last summer beginning of Fall 2011 what we thought was a bunch of baby foxes with mange turned out to be a pack of coyotes so beware - their legs are not short like the fox and they are more golden in color.
Maxwell Rockatansky
5:02 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Oh man. I once came across a skunk with a friend of mine. We had just hiked the High Road trail at Ashland Nature Center in Delaware. We were all sticky and icky from fighting through the overgrown pricker bushes and nettles and didn't think things could get worse. Then we turned a corner in the trail and ran right into the skunk! Sticky, icky and skunky! What a trip!