Rabies:Third Raccoon & Control Tips
Posted on October 14, 19104 at 19:01:58:
An injured raccoon, trapped Oct. 13 in the 7400 block of Birch Avenue, has tested positive for rabies. The raccoon displayed injuries consistent with having been hit by a vehicle or possibly having fought with another animal. Anyone who suspects they or their animal may have had direct physical contact with this raccoon is encouraged to call Montgomery County Animal Services at 240/773-5931.
This is the third positive rabies test for a raccoon in this
neighborhood in the past month. The other two were a raccoon that bit a
dog in the 7400 block of Cedar on Sept. 11 and a live trapped passive
raccoon in the 7400 block of Holly on Sept. 24.
In the first eight months of 2004, two raccoons tested positive:
one in January on Baltimore Avenue and one in March on Elm Avenue.
The State Department of Natural Resources has indicated that such
outbreaks may spontaneously resolve themselves, by groups of affected
animals dying off. The outbreaks may occur naturally but can come about
where cover and food sources are concentrated, allowing larger groups
of animals to live and eat together.
Residents are urged not to feed their domestic pets outdoors, which
encourages raccoons to gather and feed together. Feeding wild cats or
dogs can encourage rabies transmission and can be cited according to
County code
Residents should not place food scraps in compost piles and should
tightly close garbage cans. Open trash will attract wild or stray
animals.
A COP Team member is working with other City Departments to identify and alleviate a possible source of cover for raccoons.
Parents are reminded to monitor their children while outdoors. Also
monitor family pets and ensure they are current with appropriate shots.
Wildlife specialists have said that the behavior of suburban
raccoons is not the same as wild raccoons, thus seeing the animal in
the daytime is not an absolute indicator of rabies. Rabies symptoms
will either be the classic aggressive behavior or a passive form, in
which the animal appears disoriented, listless, or “drunken”. For more
information about rabies, consult
http://edcp.org/factsheets/rab_fsht.html. For information about rabies
vaccines and free clinics, contact the Humane Society at 240-773-5960
or www.mchumane.org.
Residents should seek to share this information with neighbors who do not have Internet access.
Posted by library at October 17, 2004 08:40 PM
