A New Jersey neighborhood is on high alert after an unusual animal encounter. According to Fox 29 Philadelphia, a rabid animal has been going after residents in Atlantic County. Health officials have confirmed several bites, including bites to one homeowner and two outdoor cats.
However, the rabid animal isn’t one you might usually think of when you think of this kind of incident, since the perpetrator has been identified as a local groundhog. And while the groundhog has been located, there’s no information on how the animal became exposed to rabies in the first place.
Now Fox 29 Philadelphia says that locals are being warned to stay on high alert when they come across any animals that appear to be acting unusually, especially in the Atlantic County area.
Here’s what you need to know to keep yourself safe, both in New Jersey, and when you encounter animals like this out in the wild.
A Groundhog Bit a Homeowner Who Was Trying to Trap It
Concerned homeowner Phil Connors spoke to Fox 29 Philadelphia about a recent incident, where he says a nearby homeowner was bitten by a groundhog while he was trying to trap it. “It’s just that there’s a groundhog not acting right and when he went back, he was trying to trap it, and there was nothing in the trap,” Connors recalled. “He came back and it bit him in the leg.”
Apparently, it didn’t take long for the Atlantic County health officials to track the animal down, and they were able to find him shortly after the incident was reported. Unfortunately, the groundhog was already dead when they found him, which is when officials were able to test the creature for rabies.
After receiving the positive results, the community was notified about the risk, which is when Connors and others spoke out about their concerns, since this is the second rabid animal found in the county this year. “Well, we have a horse a dog cat. We have all kinds of animals,” Weekstown Road resident Margo Ferry told a reporter. “I sit out in my garden and my husband is 86 years old. He’s outside all the time.”
The Homeowner Should Make a Full Recovery
While the cats who were bitten are being observed for symptoms, the homeowner is expected to make a full recovery. That’s likely because they followed the proper rabies protocol, and got medical attention immediately after the encounter. According to the Mayo Clinic, if you are bitten by a wild animal that you suspect could have rabies, you should seek medical advice immediately.
And while it’s hard to know whether an animal bit you because it was rabid or simply because it became aggressive in response to a perceived threat, some bites always warrant a trip to the doctor, especially if the wound looks like it has deep puncture marks, or if your skin is torn, crushed, or bleeding severely.
The Mayo Clinic also says that any type of close contact with a bat should also result in a call to your doctor, since they often carry rabies and their bites can be undetectable. Hopefully the homeowner continues to recover and the two cats remain symptom free after this scary incident.