Northeast Georgia-based District 2 Public Health has issued a warning and some guidance about how to avoid coming in contact with rabid animals. The renewed warning comes in the wake of recent increased attacks by rabid animals, including one involving a bobcat in Hart County on June 7.
Spokesman Dave Palmer said in a recent interview with AccessWDUN that it's best to avoid contact with all wild animals.
"We just want folks to be aware when they're outside walking or walking their pets that if they see a wild animal to leave it alone, get away from it and try to get your pet away from it, as well," Palmer said.
Palmer said rabies is most common in raccoons, foxes, bats and skunks, but other wild animals can be infected, too. He noted the bobcat incident in Hart County earlier this month was not the only one involving a bobcat.
"This is actually the second [rabid] bobcat we've had in our 13-county area this year and that is uncommon," Palmer said. The other rabid bobcat was discovered in Franklin County.
Palmer said area residents need to be cautious around feral cats, since they can easily be carriers of rabies.
"They rarely can be domesticated because they are born in the wild, and the best thing to do with them is leave them alone," Palmer said. "Don't feed them. Don't encourage them to be around your property in any way."
While avoiding wild animals is the primary defense against rabies, Palmer noted that it's also vital that domesticated pets be vaccinated against the disease. That way, if a pet does have contact with a rabid animal, then it would only need to be quarantined and not euthanized.
Read more about rabies and rabies prevention on the web:
http://dph.georgia.gov/rabies
http://www.georgiawildlife.com
In addition, anyone who sees an animal acting strangely or excessively aggressive is asked to contact the Georgia Department of Natural Resources hotline at 1-800-241-4113.
