A relative of mine had an enounter with a rabid raccoon in Muhlenberg Township a few weeks ago. He originally saw it near his home as did others. To see a raccoon during daylight hours is NOT normal plus it exhibited strange and aggressive behavior.
He chased the raccoon that scurried to the Muhlenberg Junior High School adjacent to the Muhlenberg Library. School had left out but there were students lingering in the area. He didn’t want to take any chances for fear of it attacking any student. He tried to kill the raccoon with a shovel.
As he was hitting at it with a shovel, the raccoon tried to bite him even as he jumped on his car. The raccoon attempted to jump up at him still trying in vain to bite him. He was able to finally end the life of the rabid raccoon with several blows to the vicious animal.
What does someone do with a dead rabid raccoon? The relative called the local police. He was told to throw the body away in a garbage bag. Huh?
He proceeded to call the Game Commisson. They weren’t interested either. Huh??
Rabies is a virus that is fatal in animals and humans if contracted. I thought it was the Game Commission’s duty to keep track of rabid animals. Am I wrong?
Logically speaking….why wouldn’t either agency get involved in a rabies case? According to Trooper Veterinary Hospital…..”the State of PA and all of its counties track the test results of animals tested for rabies. The important thing to remember is that these numbers only reflect captured and tested animals.”
So here we have a captured, dead animal that needed to be tested for rabies and was completely ignored. Why has this case been ignored particularly by the Game Commission?
Reminder- please make sure your pets are up-to-date on their rabies vaccination. That is your only protection from this deadly virus if your pet should have any contact with a rabid animal. My father-in-law’s dog was bitten by a rabid raccoon in his own backyard yrs. ago. The raccoon would not let go of the dog. My father-in-law had to hit the rabid raccoon repeatedly and very hard until it would finally die.
He always got his dogs vaccinated against rabies. Unfortunately, the rabies vaccination had run out weeks prior to being bit. Subsequently, the dog was euthanized. This is a very real issue that can endanger lives and possibly deal with the death of a beloved pet.
Why wasn’t it taken seriously by those in charge? Your thoughts.