North Carolina pets at risk of rabies as 'aggressive' fox runs rampant
Multiple people have been exposed to the animal.
FILE: Family of tiny endangered foxes caught on camera
Video captured on a California Bureau of Land Management trail camera in March shows a family of kit foxes, a rare and endangered species of fox, running around near the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
MOUNT AIRY, N.C. – Officials are warning residents of Mount Airy, North Carolina, to be aware of a fox that may pose a danger to their families, including their pets.
Multiple reports from Sunday state the animal was seen around the White Pines Country Club area and has shown "aggressive behavior," according to the Surry County Sheriff’s Office.
Given this behavior, officials have urged locals to make sure their pets, specifically their dogs, cats and ferrets aged 4 months or older, are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations in case they are exposed to the fox.
FILE: Red fox in North Carolina.
(North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission / FOX Weather)
Officials noted this is in accordance with the North Carolina General Statue 130A-185.
They added that multiple people have been exposed to the animal.
Residents are strongly advised to be careful and to immediately report any wildlife that they see acting aggressively or unusually to Animal Control, which is currently investigating and attempting to locate the fox.
FILE: Gray fox in North Carolina.
(North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission)
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission said all mammals are capable of contracting rabies. In the state, the most common carriers of the disease are foxes, raccoons, skunks and bats, while deer, coyotes, bobcats and other species have been known to carry the disease, as well.
Rabies can be transmitted to people and pets when saliva or brain tissue from a rabid animal makes contact through scratches, abrasions, open wounds or mucous membranes, officials said.