A rabid fox bit a visitor at Six Flags American in Bowie last weekend and officials are searching for anyone who have come in contact with the animal.

Prince George’s County Health Department said the fox bit a Six Flags visitor on June 26. The fox was captured on Tuesday and sent for rabies testing. The fox tested positive.

“Because rabies is a highly transmittable and treatable disease, the Health Department is taking all measures to locate any individuals that may have come in contact with this infected fox or any other infected animal,” Donald Shell, the county’s health officer, said in a news release.

Officials said the health department also needs to know of any animals that may have come in contact with the fox.

The first sign of rabies in animals include a change in behaviors, such as appearing unusually tame or extremely aggressive, staggering, convulsions, frothing at the mouth, gradual paralysis or change in voice. Officials say that if a pet has a wound of unknown origin a veterinarian should be contacted immediately.

Officials said any person or animal who may have come in contact with the fox should contact the county’s health department at 301-583-3750. After normal work hours, the weekend or holidays, call 240-508-5774.

via Post Now – Rabid fox bites visitor to Bowie Six Flags.

A fox that attacked a Cottonwood woman Wednesday tested positive for rabies Thursday.

It was the first reported rabid wildlife attack in Yavapai County this year, after several odd incidents in 2009.

The year 2009 saw a record 280 confirmed reports of rabid wildlife. About half were skunks, 69 were bats and 51 were foxes. Fifteen cases occurred in Yavapai County, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Last year's record was a 59 percent increase from the previous record of 176 set in 2008. So far this year, the state has recorded 61 rabies cases in wild animals, two-thirds were skunks.

While state agencies don't track rabid wildlife attacks, at least three occurred last year in the Prescott and Cottonwood areas.

In the latest incident Wednesday evening, a woman who lives along North Willard Streeet in Cottonwood said a fox attacked her and bit her hand.

She had just caught a javelina in a trap in her yard and when it was loaded into her vehicle, she went back into her yard.

Suddenly a grey fox jumped over a retaining wall and bit her hand, then ran away. She suffered minor lacerations and is undergoing rabies shots.

The woman's husband said the fox had been in the area for some time and thought it lived in an abandoned house next door. However, it had just started acting strangely in the last few days.

When the report came into the police, they suspected the fox was rabid because they had received two earlier reports of a fox trying unsuccessfully to attack people in the area, including a UPS driver who fended off the fox with a clipboard, according to state wildlife officials and Cottonwood Sgt. Gareth Braxton.

An officer spotted the fox in the vacant home next to the victim's home, Cottonwood police said. When the fox leaped onto the retaining wall about 15 feet away from the officers, one of the officers shot and killed it.

Arizona Game and Fish Department spokesperson Zen Mocarski warned people to stay away from wild animals and watch for unusual behavior indicative of rabies.

Signs of rabies include lethargy, lack of fear of humans, unusual aggression and activity during the heat of the day, especially from nocturnal animals.

The last reported rabid wildlife attack in Yavapai County took place in April 2009 when a rabid bobcat attacked a family walking along Lynx Creek in Prescott Valley.

In March 2009, a rabid bobcat attacked patrons in a Cottonwood bar, and the saloon's video camera captured the havoc.

And in February 2009 and November 2008, two separate rabid foxes attacked hikers at the Granite Mountain Recreation Area just west of Prescott.

via Rabid fox attacks Cottonwood woman – The Prescott Daily Courier – Prescott, Arizona.

KINGMAN, Ariz. (AP) – Arizona Game and Fish Department officials say a mountain lion has been found and killed southeast of Prescott and it's believed to be the same one that attacked a man last weekend.

Officials say the mountain lion was located Friday less than a half-mile from the house where a 30-year-old man was attacked Sunday night near Walker. The man survived with minor injuries.

Game and Fish officials had been looking for the mountain lion since Monday. The one found was a 6 to 7-year-old female weighing approximately 75 pounds and they say the animal's size was consistent with tracks found at the attack site.

A full necropsy will be done and the mountain lion's head will be submitted for rabies testing to help determine if disease or other physical ailment influenced the animal's behavior.

via Mountain lion killed near Prescott attack site – KSWT: Local News, Weather, Sports Yuma, AZ El Centro Imperial Valley, CA |.

What would you do if you suddenly spotted a growling mountain lion about eight feet away in the dark?

Andy Bell said he was only about 100 feet from his Walker home when that happened to him Sunday night while he was turning off his outdoor water supply, so he decided to bolt for his front door.

Unfortunately, his running triggered the catamount's predatory attack response.

“It was on my back and took me down to the ground,” Bell told The Daily Courier Wednesday while in Prescott for doctor visits and rabies shots.

With the lion on his back, Bell said he slid about six feet down his gravel driveway and ended up directly under the back of his truck.

Luckily, he barely cleared the truck hitch but the lion's head rammed into it, peeling the lion right off his back.

“If I would have hit that hitch, he would have had a free dinner,” Bell said.

The stunned lion ran off and Bell ran into his house. He came back out with a gun but the lion was gone.

He had just experienced the most terrifying moment of his life.

“I've had close calls before in car accidents, but this is a completely different game,” Bell said. “I have a whole new respect for nature and its power.”

Bell is a hunter and he knows he shouldn't run from lions, but when he heard that lion growl he felt like his best chance was to run for the house because it was so close and he was unarmed.

“Put yourself in those shoes and see what you would have done,” Bell said.

While Bell suffered only a scratch from the lion, the six-foot slide in the gravel injured him significantly.

He has large gouges in the palms of his hands and injured his left elbow and right knee. He's getting tests to determine the extent of the injuries. On Wednesday he had to get rabies shots.

He hasn't been able to do much work at his RMS Fleet Service diesel repair shop in Prescott.

Bell said his dog has gone into barking fits about the same time almost every night since Saturday, and the dog refused to go outside with him Sunday night when the cat attacked, even though the dog always wanted to join him in the past.

Then Tuesday night, his neighbor reported seeing the lion after it set off his outdoor motion-sensor light. The neighbor lives about 150 yards away in Walker, a small forested community a few miles southeast of Prescott.

Like Bell, the neighbor got his gun and went back outside, but the cougar was gone.

“I was up all night just knowing it was out there,” Bell said.

Bell and his girlfriend are staying armed when they go outdoors, and Bell would love to get a shot at the lion. But he knows it's not an easy job to track a cougar, especially when he's limping.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services trackers plan to try a second time today to track the lion, said Zen Mocarski of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Their dogs were unable to pick up a scent Tuesday. Wildlife officials have not been able to identify any lion tracks in the area, either.

Despite what he has been through, Bell still loves nature and worries that his experience will scare off visitors to Prescott. So he is urging people not to fear the forest because of what happened to him.

via Walker man details lion attack – The Prescott Daily Courier – Prescott, Arizona.

Link

Two attacked by bobcats

By PHIL SARATA, T&D Staff Writer  Thursday, May 07, 2009 

BRANCHVILLE — Two Branchville men have reported being attacked by bobcats.

While at least one of the men undergoes rabies treatment, officials are trying to figure out if one or two felines were involved in the separate attacks.

Both attacks took place in Branchville, the first around 9 p.m. Tuesday and the second shortly after midnight. The bobcat in the first attack was able to escape. The bobcat in the second attack didn’t.

Both attacks left the victims with injuries that required medical attention. One man required stitches.

Hugo D. Valentine says he was informed by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control late Thursday afternoon the animal that attacked him had rabies.

Describing the attack, Valentine said, “I was clearing a piece of land off Old Orangeburg Road with a backhoe Tuesday night. Me and some friends had piled up the debris and were burning it.

“Around 12:30, I felt something on my leg. I looked down and a bobcat had latched onto my thigh. I grabbed it by the ears and tried to hold it on the ground. We were able to pin the front paws down but it was still trying to bite me. Even though my friend was standing on its back legs, the bobcat’s back claws were still scratching up my hands. It died before I could get my knife. It looked as though we had smothered it.”

Valentine said he was treated at a hospital.

“All I have are scratches on my hand and teeth marks in my thigh,” Valentine said. “They treated the wounds and gave me a shot of antibiotics on the left side of my butt.

“I brought the cat to the hospital. I spoke to a DHEC representative and I was asked to put the head on ice so it could be tested for rabies. Once DHEC told me it did have rabies, my doctor started my treatment.”

DHEC spokesman Thom Berry said that he had not been able to confirm with Orangeburg DHEC officials the dead bobcat had tested positive for rabies as of early Thursday evening.

“If the case involves a human, we would recommend that the individual proceed with a rabies treatment, just to be on the safe side,” Berry said.

Branchville police say that an ambulance had responded to the scene of an earlier bobcat attack at 9:17 p.m. on Smoak Street.

Branchville Town Clerk Treesa Suggs said that victim suffered injuries to his arms and head.

“He came by town hall (Thursday),” Suggs said. “He had about 16 stitches in his head and several more in both his arms.”

Attempts to reach the victim were unsuccessful.

Bobcat attacks don’t happen much, said S.C. Department of Natural Resources Chief of Wildlife Statewide Projects, Research and Survey Derrell Shipes.

“We have had a lot of raccoons and foxes over the years with rabies but bobcat attacks are unusual,” Shipes said. “Most are afraid of humans and won’t attack unless provoked, such as being caught or cornered. They are not rare but they are also not abundant in South Carolina. They do not live close to humans.”

Link

Fox attacks two hikers

By Doug Cook, The Daily Courier

Sunday, May 03, 2009

PRESCOTT – Craig Leicht and Paul Janowski were enjoying their regular stroll along the three-mile loop of Prescott National Forest Trails 347 and 341 when a fox took a deadly interest in them.

At 6:45 p.m. Thursday, the Prescott neighbors were ending an otherwise routine hike on a trail near Granite Mountain, a mile west of Prescott’s municipal boundary and little more than a mile away from their homes, when the male animal attacked them.

Thanks to a quick response, Leicht, who moved here from Texas in February, and Janowski fended off and killed what they think was a rabid fox close to the trails’ far junction toward the bottom of a ravine. Neither of the men suffered bites or injuries.

“The fox appeared dazed, although he didn’t have any froth in his mouth,” said Janowski, 70, on Friday. “It was really weird, in a way.”

An Arizona Game and Fish Department official hauled away the fox’s body Friday morning and its frozen head will go to a state medical lab for testing Monday in Phoenix to determine whether it had rabies.

“The popular belief is that rabies tends to be cyclical in nature, and it’s just running its course throughout that area,” Game and Fish public information officer Zen Mocarski said. “Your odds of a wild animal encounter for the number of people that are outside still remains very low.”

Thursday’s incident was only one in a series of human vs. wild animal clashes during the past several months in Yavapai County, including the tri-city area.

“I looked ahead and saw something crouching on the trail, and I thought it was a bobcat in a hunched-down, crouching position,” Leicht said Friday about the fox encounter. “It was probably about 100 feet ahead or maybe more, so I bent down and picked up a rock just to scare it. By the time I stood up, this thing was about five feet away from me.”

Leicht, an anesthesiologist at Yavapai Regional Medical Center who lives in the Hokegon neighborhood off Iron Springs Road, about a mile west of Williamson Valley Road toward the Granite Mountain Wilderness Area, said he and Janowski were walking toward the latter’s residence when the incident happened.

“I threw a 15- to 20-pound boulder at the fox and it bounced off his back,” Leicht said. “I thought that would have deterred him, but he got up, came back at me, grabbed my pants leg, and I finally kicked him with my boot. He kept getting up and tried to attack again.”

At that point, Leicht kicked the fox as hard as he could, flinging it into a tree. Leicht and Janowski subsequently ambushed the animal and stoned it to death.

“I was surprised he was so aggressive and that it would come at me at such a distance,” Leicht said. “It was growling the whole way it was charging us. Once I kicked it a couple times, it would whimper and growl.”

One of Leicht’s neighbors plans to erect a homemade sign at the trailhead warning hikers about the possibility of having an encounter with a rabid animal.

Leicht recommends hikers carry hiking sticks and wear boots and long, baggy pants in case something happens.

“We didn’t have sticks or anything,” said Janowski, adding that he might start packing a .22-caliber pistol for safety when walking the trail. “It was very scary. I’m going to be very observant.”

Link

Canine attacks, injures teen

By Richelle Bailey | The McDowell News

Published: April 27, 2009

A Buncombe County teen told local authorities he was attacked by a coyote in the woods off Mill Creek Road Sunday. Animal Control officers say he suffered extensive injuries from some sort of canine, but it’s unlikely it was a coyote.
Simon Joseph Sexton, 17, and a friend were scouting for places to turkey hunt around 5 p.m. They had walked two-tenths of a mile into the woods close to the first pull-off on the left coming from Ridgecrest, according to McDowell County Animal Control Sgt. Brian Walker.
Sexton got ahead of his friend and out of sight. A canine jumped toward the teen and went for Sexton’s throat and then his groin area, Walker stated. Sexton’s friend heard the commotion and came running, which, in turn, scared the animal off.
“The victim said it was a big coyote, about a hundred pounds. His friend said it looked like a German shepherd mix,” said the sergeant.
Monday, Walker, Animal Control Cpl. Frank Holder and Sexton’s father, Rodney, went back to the area of Mill Creek where the attack occurred to search for any signs of the animal.
“We found the tracks of a canine, but this animal would only weigh about 50 pounds,” Walker stated. “Generally, a coyote that weighs 35 to 40 pounds is considered a big coyote. Based on the tracks we found, we think the animal might have been a hybrid or a domesticated dog that someone turned loose that is now feral. … More than likely, it was probably a female that had pups nearby and felt threatened because they usually don’t want to be around people.”
The sergeant said that Sexton’s friend carried the 17-year-old out of the woods. He was taken to an Asheville hospital, where his wounds were stitched and he was started on rabies vaccines and was released.
Walker advised anyone walking in the woods to be aware of their surroundings and carry a stick.
“It might not protect you against everything, but it’s better than nothing,” he stated. “Also, go with someone if possible. If you’re going by yourself, let someone know when you will be out so if you’re not back on time they can call for help.”

Link

It’s almost like an animal revolution is going on.

Possible rabid animal attacks reported in Winchester area

WINCHESTER – At least three incidents of possible rabid animal attacks have been reported to Animal Control this month, according to a press release issued today by Winchester police.

On Wednesday, a woman reported that she and a child had been attacked by a red fox on Battery Drive.

“The female reported that after leaving a business on Battery Drive with a male child that she was caring for, a red fox came out from underneath a vehicle and bit the child’s shoe. When the female intervened, the fox bit the female several times. The female then drove to seek treatment at the Winchester Medical Center, ” the release states.

“The parent of the child decided she would seek treatment the following day at the child’s pediatrician, since the fox bite did not penetrate the child’s skin. The female described the fox as having a mangy coat, wet and bloody mouth.”

Animal Control has set traps in the Battery Drive area where the incident occurred. Area neighbors reported seeing the fox under cars througout the day. 

On Sunday, a homeowner in the 100 block of Linden Drive reported her dog had been attacked by a groundhog, and that when she tried to scare the animal away, it charged at her.

“The homeowner, who was not bitten, went back into her residence and called the dog inside. The groundhog was not on the property when Animal Control arrived. Several traps have been set in the area in an attempt to catch the groundhog. The homeowner’s dog was up to date on his rabies vaccination; however, the 45-day hold was placed on the dog. It cannot be confirmed that the groundhog is rabid until the groundhog has been caught,” the release states.

On April 15, a homeowner in the 700 block of Merriman’s Lane reported that his dog was attacked by a raccoon.

“During the attack, the homeowner was able to kill the raccoon. The Virginia Department of Health confirmed the raccoon was infected with rabies. The homeowner’s dog was up to date on his rabies vaccination; however, the Virginia Department of Health requires a 45-day hold on the dog, which is monitored by the Department of Health,” the release states.

Winchester police are asking area residents to report any wildlife or animals that exhibit signs of rabies, or if a bat enters a residence. Call police at 540-662-4131.

Signs of rabies include dingy or mangy coat, wounded appearance, bleeding or wet mouth, and/or aggressive or confused actions.

Link

Woman Attacked by Wild Pig

Posted By: Gary Detman 

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Cassandra Frank says she hadn’t even had a chance to have her morning cup of coffee on Monday.

She says the father of her 6 and 7-year-old children told her there was a pig in the backyard of their home on 23rd Avenue North.

A pig in the neighborhood is definitely odd, since they live within the city limits. You can see Interstate 275 through the fence that runs along the side of their home. Cassandra says, “I used to have a pig growing up, so I thought it was, you know, not that big.”

The pig was behind a wooden shed in the back yard. It appeared to have been digging a hole there. Cassandra went to take a closer look.

“Well, when I saw the back end of it, I didn’t think it would be that big. But when it came charging at me and I really got a look at it… I mean, it scared me.” 

It was that fear she says that sent her running back to the front of the house. The hog, weighing nearly 200 pounds, was moving fast too, and came straight at her. “So when I looked at my leg and I saw that it did, you know, nick me.”

Frank was left with a scratch and a bruise from the wild hog’s tusk.

Nine emergency workers responded from the St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue department, St. Petersburg Police Department and Pinellas County Animal Control Department.

Lt. Dan Robinson says, “We were all trying to capture the pig.”

Lt. Robinson, a 15 year veteran of the St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue department, says he had to jump over a six foot wooden fence to get out of the wild hog’s way. “She stopped about 10 feet short of me and looked at me. I looked at her and tried to scare her back to the pack, and at that time then she charged me.”

Robinson was able to get out of the way in the nick of time and wasn’t hurt.

Bill Warzybok, the animal control officer, finally captured the hog. He says the attacks could have been life threatening.

“The last thing you want to do is get gored by a 170 pound hog. It’s definitely not going to be good.”

Warzybok says it’s fortunate that the hog’s tusks were ground down and not three to four inches long. “It could hit a femoral artery and you could literally bleed to death.” 

The hog injured its leg during the attack and had to put to sleep. It’s now being tested for rabies.

Meanwhile, Cassandra plans to head back to her job Tuesday at a local fast food restaurant. She’s also studying to become a medical assistant.

No one is sure where the animal came from, but the case is under investigation.

Link

What’s going on in NY? The 4th Coyote attack in 3 weeks.

Coyote attacks local man

Officers forced to shoot and kill
coyote

Updated: Thursday, 16 Apr 2009, 9:47 AM EDT
Published : Thursday, 16 Apr 2009, 6:37 AM EDT

• Jericka Duncan
• Photographer Danylo Paszkowsky Posted by Emma Orn

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) – Police officers were forced to shoot and kill a coyote that attacked a man in Niagara County Wednesday night. 

For the man who was close enough when the coyote turned ugly, getting away unharmed was quite the feat. Officials said the 31 year-old man was walking along Zimmerman road late Wednesday night when the coyote circled him and then nipped at his legs. 

“They’re usually not aggressive. They usually try to stay away from humans,” said Capt. John Mangus from North Tonawanda Fire Department. 

Despite what’s typical of these animals, the health department reports this is the 4th time a coyote has tried to attack a human in the last three weeks in North Tonawanda. 

Nicole Azim is a resident there. She said, “I never thought we’d have a coyote living across the street from my house.” 

Some neighbors who heard police fire the shot that killed the coyote said they feel safer. “It’s not out running around anymore so I feel like I can go outside without it running out,” said Courtney Connors. 

Fire Captain Mangus said coyotes aren’t uncommon in the area. What you can do to protect yourself is simple. “Stay away from it! Right now what we’ve experienced is these are aggressive now. They’re not just running away,” said Magnus. “Be aware that they are out there. You know going out into your backyard. Turn lights on first. Hopefully that will scare them off.” 

Health officials said they will test the coyote for rabies. 

Mark Alessandrea from North Tonawanda said, “Unfortunately it didn’t have rabies. That’s kind of sad. I like the wildlife here. That’s why I moved here.”

>> Click here for Coyote Safety Tips