Rabid fox confirmed in Frankford, DE (New Castle, Camden: 2014, townhouse, food)

[DelawareLiz]

Just thought I'd let everybody know that a rabid fox bit a man in Frankford yesterday, right near route 113. Fox was killed and tests confirmed it does have rabies. The man is currently undergoing treatment. I will post a link once I can find an article; I learned about this via a friend. The thing is....where there's one rabid animal, there are more! So everyone, please watch out for any suspicious acting animals.

[fluffythewondercat]

Rabid wild animals are a growing problem in California because the drought is forcing wildlife to venture closer to human habitation to get food and water. In 2014, 178 rabid animals were identified in California, including 150 bats, 24 skunks, 2 cats, 1 dog and 1 fox.

This puts your pets at risk, so make sure they're vaccinated.

[DelawareLiz]

Just found out another man was recently bitten by a rabid raccoon in Ocean View. I am (well....was) an avid hiker up until early April and encountered many fox on my hikes out at the Assawoman Wildlife Refuge. They always ran away when they saw me. I saw a groundhog in my area for the first time the other day in my neighbor's backyard--was about as big as a medium sized dog!!! This is only the second groundhog I have seen in Sussex.

[Mimidae]

Originally Posted by beachliz

I saw a groundhog in my area for the first time the other day in my neighbor's backyard--was about as big as a medium sized dog!!! This is only the second groundhog I have seen in Sussex.

That's surprising. Groundhogs are extremely common and visible in New Castle County. They are a daily sight on the sides of roads, in parks, and in back yards (a friend had her backyard parsley plants wiped out by the varmints. And this was in a townhouse community without a ton of green space).

[DelawareLiz]

Yes, we often saw them in NCC and in PA on our trips to Lancaster or the Poconos. They aren't as common here though. I saw one a little over a year ago in west Rehoboth running through somebody's yard while we rode our bikes on the Junction and Breakwater Trail. They sure do run fast! It ran beside us while we rode our bikes.

[longneckone]

Might as well bring this up here. I believe I have read that if your pet is bitten by a rabid animal and you clean the wound you can get infected.

[rdlr]

I have noticed the same red fox sitting in the same field, 4 different days within the last week, near Camden. When I pull over to take a photo, he runs to the woods.

About groundhogs - they are everywhere in Kent County, and have been for many years. When we farmed, our German Shepherd dog would fight with them, until he met up with a rabid one. We had to put our dog down. Even in our little town, I see them scurrying across the street to back yards now and then. A few years ago on the job, I had to use pepper spray on one who appeared to be very aggressive. After a couple of shots, he retreated.

[DelawareLiz]

Yes, that is true, longneckone. Good thing you posted that info.

rdlr--how awful! Groundhogs are mammals....and obviously can fall victim to rabies as well. I didn't realize they can be so nasty. I sure hope I never encounter an aggressive one--the two I've seen in Sussex were huge!

[retiree2011]

Originally Posted by longneckone

Might as well bring this up here. I believe I have read that if your pet is bitten by a rabid animal and you clean the wound you can get infected.

Rabies is spread from saliva, so if your pet gets bitten and you clean the would or even handle the pet without gloves, and have an open would, you are exposed. So, gloves are recommended when handling a possibly-exposed pet.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by beachliz

Yes, that is true, longneckone. Good thing you posted that info.

rdlr--how awful! Groundhogs are mammals....and obviously can fall victim to rabies as well. I didn't realize they can be so nasty. I sure hope I never encounter an aggressive one--the two I've seen in Sussex were huge!

Yep, Liz....groundhogs can be very aggressive. I was lucky with my experience. I was in a rural area, on the job, measuring a house....all alone. Lucky the pepper spray worked, and even luckier I had it on a chain around my neck.

Fox seem to more prevalent these days, don't they? Either that, or they aren't afraid of venturing out into residential areas.