NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Rehabilitation center staffers had to euthanize a rabid baby raccoon that was found in a wounded stated in a Newport News neighborhood more than a month ago.
Someone found the injured baby raccoon near Parker Avenue and Winder Crescent on May 21. It was taken to a rehabilitation facility where its health progressed through June.
However, on June 29, staffers saw that the raccoon was starting to experience neurological symptoms. They euthanized it and tested it for rabies. The results came back positive.
If anyone knows someone who was exposed to this animal (bite, scratch or contact with saliva by open wound or eyes, nose, mouth), they're asked to contact the Environmental Health office of the Peninsula Health Department at (757) 594-7340. Exposures also include direct contact between your pet and the rabid animal. After hours, please contact the Newport News Animal Control at (757) 595-7387.
Rabies is a fatal, but preventable, disease that is carried by mammals and has been in the wild animal population on the Peninsula since the mid-1980s.
The District would like to remind all citizens to follow these four important rabies prevention guidelines:
1. Vaccinate your pets.
2. Report all exposures to animals (usually bites and scratches) to your doctor and the local health department.
3. Enjoy wildlife from a distance – don’t feed or encourage wild animals such as raccoons, skunks or foxes to visit your premises.
4. Do not feed your pets outside, leave trash uncovered, or do anything that may attract wild animals to your property.
