Wild animals, whether on the Serengeti Plain or Central Park should not be approached by humans. They may look cute or hungry or hurt, but the common feature is that they are wild. To them, YOU are the biggest threat in their environment. Don’t expect they are going to applaud when you approach. Just last week there was a story of a woman in Wisconsin who tried to feed a bear in a zoo. The bear ate what she offered, plus three fingers. It took the woman’s escort to beat off the bear before he took any more of her. Leave wild animals alone. Closer to home a woman recently came to the aid of a sick raccoon. Though she wasn’t bitten, the raccoon turned out to have rabies and she is going to need the five-dose vaccine series (the rabies vaccine is given in the arm not the stomach).
Unless you’ve been living under a rock in Central Park, we’ll, even if you’ve been living under a rock in Central Park, you should know that there is an epizootic of raccoon rabies there. An epizootic is an epidemic in animals and there have been over fifty rabid raccoons found in Central Park in the last five months. What should you do? If you see a raccoon, leave it alone. If it looks sick, notify a park employee or police officer. Do not approach it. If you own a dog, make sure he or she has had a recent rabies vaccine. It is also a good idea to keep your dog on a leash.
There is no reason to panic. It is extremely rare for a rabid raccoon to attack a human. The virus infects the raccoon’s nervous system and although they can be aggressive they are sick. Nevertheless, STAY AWAY from raccoons!
For more information go to the Health Department's website
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2010/pr007-10.shtml
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