Critters
and Virus
Article from September
- October 1998 Buckeye Trapper
by Col.
Richard L. Stanley, Sr.
Rain was coming down from the dark heavens by the buckets as
I drove the long sandy lane back to Roger's old farm. Bolts of
lightning lit up the entire western sky, crackling from the sky
to the ground everywhere. The static caused my hard to rise. The
swampy county where I survive is noted as the lightning capitol
of the world. people are killed monthly by bolts from nowhere.
I thought, "I should have stayed home."
Roger met me on the sagging old porch with his two raccoon hounds
frantically wagging their tails to greet me. We ad met before
on the trail. "Rich," roger said softly in greeting
me, "I thought I'd talk with you out here on the porch rather
than in front of the wife and kids." That got my attention
real quick.
Roger continued, "During the past week I've spotted several
raccoons in and around my barn and out building act strangely."
Taking a seat on the squeaky porch swing, Roger lit up his brier
pipe, blowing sweet smoke at a cloud of mosquitoes hovering near
us. "Several of the critters acted almost drunk, staggering
about, falling down, then they'd act normal again." Roger
said, while pointing to a wooded area nearby. "There used
to be a bunch of raccoon living back in the woods and swaps, but
of late they seem to enjoy my buildings more than the trees."
After a hot coffee with the family, I picked up another recipe
for a skunk cabbage salad and walked to the barns. My hunter's
light picker up several raccoons in the rafters glaring down at
us with green and red eyes as if they were showing resentment
at us for disturbing them. I immediately noticed froth on the
jaws of two animals and, taking Rogers arm, we beat a hasty retreat
back to the house with the dogs at out heels.
I told Roger as gently as possible that he had a barn full of
rabid raccoons and probably rats too. It would be absolutely necessary
that he and his family and does stay in the house or go to stay
with friends until we had the problems eradicated. I arranged
to return in the morning with traps and equipment to contain the
sick animals for transport. As a nuisance hunter I find the deep
south becoming plagued by pitiful animals with rabies. We have
too many wild raccoons, foxes, and cats, with no natural predators
or hunters to thin their ranks. They multiply like rabbits. Scientists
recently found that raccoon with rabies and PCBs are killing the
Florida panthers that feed on them.
Rabies is an incurable, deadly disease caused by a virus. The
virus attacks the central nervous system of mammals. With rare
exceptions, rabies is almost always fatal. Few humans survive
the virus. Any warm-blooded mammal can get rabies. However, some
animals are most susceptible to rabies than many animals. Cats
and dogs, while less susceptible to rabies than many animals,
are more likely to transmit the rabies virus from wild animals
to humans. Animals rarely afflicted with rabies include rats,
mice, squirrels, possums, hamsters and rabbits. Birds, snakes
and fish can not get the disease. Rabies is usually transmitted
through a bite or a break in the skin with saliva carrying the
virus.
Although it's not possible to determine whether an animal has
rabies just by looking at it, some symptoms strongly indicate
rabies. The stereotypical "foaming at the mouth" is
not necessary the best indicator that an animal has rabies.
Although people often divide symptoms into two categories, "dumb"
(or paralytic) and "furious" rabies, animals can exhibit
both forms of rabies as the disease progresses. Animals with "dumb"
rabies often appear depressed and uncoordinated. They gradually
lapse into complete paralysis . When their throat and jaw muscles
become paralyzed (lock jaw), the animal will drool and have difficulty
swallowing. Companion animals with "furious" rabies
exhibit the classic "mad dog" symptoms. They will act
nervous and vicious, often snapping at real or imaginary objects.
Cats always exhibit the furious form of rabies.
Several other animals diseases may mimic rabies. For example:
distemper, a disease common among coyotes, foxes, dogs and raccoon
has many symptoms common to rabies including foaming at the mouth,
convulsions and paralysis. Both diseases are spreading rapidly
in states that have outlawed the trapping and hunting of these
animals. Animal control is a necessity.
People can protect themselves and their pets from rabies by taking
a few simple precautions:
A. Make sure all your companion animals are up to date on their
shots and wear their license tags.
B. Supervise your pet, obey leash laws and control the pet.
C. If another person's pet bites you or your pet, contact the
owner, their vet for data, or your health department.
D. Teach your kids to stay away from wild animals of pets they
do not know.
E. If raccoons or other wild animals are lurking about your yard
acting sick, call the animal agency for help.
F. Avoid attracting or handling wild animals; feed your pet indoors,
do not toss food into your yard.
G. Keep your yard free of garbage, pet food and bird feed (except
in regular bird feeders.) If trash and garbage must be kept outside,
place in a sturdy, sealed container.
H. Keep your home in good repair to prevent animals from entering
through cracks and crevices. Use strong metal mesh to cover potential
entryways, such as around chimneys, dryer vents and holds in eaves
and around foundations.
If you or your pets are exposed, bitten, scratched or licked
by a potentially rabid animal, you first line of defense is soap
and water. Scrub the area thoroughly then contact your doctor
for advice and examination. Try to locate or have the animal agency
locate, the biting animal so they can quarantine the animal for
study. If your pet has been bitten and was never vaccinated, it
will develop rabies and should be euthanized, otherwise it should
be isolated for six months for study.
We took eleven rabid raccoon out of Roger's buildings in two
days and left traps in place for another week with no takers.
Both of Rogers' hounds had been vaccinated recently, but were
still quarantined for the legal time for study and came out very
healthy.
With no animal control and unlimited breeding, the animal population
is rapidly increasing throughout the country with resulting epidemics
in rabies, distemper and other spreading diseases. This serious
problem is completely ignored by the anti's.
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