Twice in the past two years, an animal has appeared in our yard displaying behaviors of concern for rabies. What are the odds?

The Cat and the Fox

The first instance involved a cat; the second time, it was a gray fox. In both cases, I made the wrong assumptions on who to call for advice and assistance. In both cases, I spent upwards of an hour leaving voicemails, making dead-end calls, and following incorrect advice. What I learned may help you, should you see an animal in your yard whose appearance or behaviors raise concerns about rabies. 

NOTE: If you have landed on the page because you urgently need information, simply scan down the page to the tips highlighted in blue + the infographic.

Basics on Rabies

Although any mammal can contract rabies, about 90% of cases in the US are in wildlife. According to SCDHEC, over half of the average 148 cases per year of confirmed rabies in SC are raccoons. The remaining cases were, in order of frequency: skunks, foxes, bats, cats, dogs, and other domestic and wild animals.

The rabies virus is contracted from the saliva and other bodily fluids of an infected animal that can gain entry through a cut, scratch, bite, or through the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth. Once established, the virus attacks the brain and spinal cord, causing some of the behaviors associated with rabies:

• An animal that seems disoriented and is staggering and/or walking in circles;
• An animal having seizures or dragging itself, as if paralyzed;
• An animal that is drooling excessively;
• An animal that is biting at itself, others, or imaginary objects;
• An animal with aggressive or vicious behavior, biting or scratching without provocation;
• A wild animal that acts tame with no fear of humans;
• A nocturnal animal that is out in the day AND displaying some of these behaviors.

What To Know and Do

What should you do if you look out your window and see a sick or injured animal with symptoms suggesting rabies?

Just because a wild animal is out in the daytime or appears sick does not mean it has rabies.

A nearby disturbance, such as land clearing or timbering in nearby woods and fields, can send animals fleeing in daylight hours. During spring and early summer, mother raccoons and foxes are working overtime to keep their babies fed. They may be out foraging in midday, sometimes with their young. Foxes will occasionally den with their young under the safety of porches, decks or outbuildings. It is fine to leave them be, as long as you keep a respectful distance and remember they are wild animals.

It is not a kindness to feed wild animals, either accidentally or on purpose, via unsecured garbage can lids, pet food bowls or well-intentioned efforts to help them out. This can handicap wild animals by blurring the boundaries with humans. When animals lose their healthy fear of humans, there is the risk they’ll inappropriately approach humans and come to harm.

Also, keep in mind that a sick animal does not always equal rabies. The symptoms of distemper and other diseases in raccoons and foxes can look like rabies. An injured animal can also present with similar symptoms. 

Keep a safe distance. Do not approach the animal. Know that an animal may suddenly attack or give chase.

Odds are, the animal does not have rabies. But it may be wise to treat the situation “as if” by not approaching the animal. This keeps you safe and prevents the animal from fleeing before it can get help. Keep in mind that any sick or injured animal may be afraid and/or disoriented and can behave with unpredictable, defensive or aggressive behaviors.

Seek professional help, but be aware that not every official you contact will provide correct information.

The last thing you want to do during this stressful situation is to find yourself making a dozen calls to the wrong places. Unfortunately, the protocol for addressing potentially rabid animals is not clearly drawn nor understood, even by many of the individuals working at the various agencies. I do not offer this to insult, just to state the facts as I experienced them and as I was told by two knowledgeable individuals who work within the system: “The system is broken.” 

You may assume or be advised to call the SC Department for Environmental Control (SCDHEC) or the SC Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), but don’t spin your wheels on this. These agencies do not assist in the capture or assessment of potentially rabid animals in your yard.

You may get different advice and conflicting information from everyone who answers the phone. This is because the system for addressing suspected rabies is fragmented and unfortunately seeded with incorrect information. The information in the infographic below should be accurate. It was gathered from numerous conversations with the officials from SCDNR and SCDHEC, local law enforcement officers and dispatchers, City and County Animal Control Officers, and Wildlife Control Officers. Errors are nonetheless possible and will be corrected as needed.

WHO TO CALL?

Whom you call will depend on whether you’re in the City or County. It will also depend on whether the animal is a domestic or wildlife species. Note: The information given here is intended only for animals suspected of rabies, not for addressing issues of stray animals.

CAT or DOG IN CITY LIMITS: If you are in the City and see a dog or cat in your yard with concerning symptoms suggesting rabies, call Aiken Public Safety 24/7 at 803-642-7620. They should dispatch City Animal Control to take care of it.

CAT OR DOG IN THE COUNTY DURING BUSINESS HOURS: If you see a dog or cat in the county with concerning symptoms during normal office hours (Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m) call County Animal Control at 803-502-9000 Ext. 3704. 

CAT OR DOG IN THE COUNTY AFTER HOURS: If you see a dog or cat in the County with concerning symptoms, and it’s after hours, call 911. The dispatcher should contact County Animal Control. 

WILDLIFE IN CITY OR COUNTY: For a suspected rabid wild animal (raccoon, fox, bat, skunk, etc) call a Wildlife Control Operator (WCO):

ABOUT WILDLIFE CONTROL OPERATORS

These individuals and companies are in the business of providing a valuable service — wildlife control. Like any business, they do charge a fee for their services.

Before hiring a WCO, the public is urged to read the SCDNR’s page, Information on Wildlife Removal Services for best practices and other info on hiring a WCO.

The SCDNR does not endorse or guarantee their services, but the agency does post an alphabetically arranged, county-by-county Wildlife Control Operators (WCO) List.

The SCDNR list of WCOs is unfortunately outdated and hit-or-miss. Two recently confirmed contacts for Aiken-area WCOs from the list are Joe Leonard and Andrew Stephens. Their contact info is provided below.

BELOW: Two Aiken area Wildlife Control Officers. Click to enlarge text.

Were You or Your Pet Exposed?

In the case of potential exposure to a rabid animal, (defined by as a bite, scratch or contact with saliva, body fluids or neural tissue from a potentially infected animal), you would still need to follow the advice above to have the animal captured and contained if safely possible.

If you or your pet were bitten or exposed to a potentially rabid animal, you will still need to follow the steps in the infographic, if possible, plus notify SC-DHEC.

A case of potential exposure to a rabid animal — or the bite of any animal — is the ONLY time that SCDHEC would need to be contacted. This step is actually required by law and should be performed by any professionals involved with the situation. You should also call. Contact the Public Health Aiken office at (803) 642-1637 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday) or after hours and on holidays call the SC-DHEC Rabies On-Call Team  (888) 847-0902 (Select Option 2). 

SC-DHEC has a helpful info flow chart for post-exposure advice: When a Person is Exposed to an Animal Suspected of Rabies. The first 3 items on the list are:

• Thoroughly wash wounds with soap and water.
• Seek medical attention for the wound.
• Contact the SCDHEC.

Does the above information need addition or correction? Please drop me a line .

What Happened with the Cat and the Fox?

The cat, who concerned us by loudly growling under the barn for days, and then giving chase when we approached, was just a stray with a very wacky, but surprisingly friendly, personality. He is now living a contented life of leisure in the home of an Aiken area family.

The fox, who was having difficulty standing, was assessed to be healthy with a recoverable leg injury and is hopefully living a life of fox contentment among Aiken’s rapidly-disappearing wild places. The Animal Control Officers and the Wildlife Control Officer who helped us were experienced, knowledgeable professionals with genuine compassion for the animals they meet in their line of work.

ABOVE: Two healthy foxes visiting our yard one year.

We keep a wildlife-friendly yard, meaning we enjoy their occasional presence and respect their wildness by keeping our distance. We sometimes see gray foxes in the yard during mulberry season. Below is a photo from a recent year with two gray foxes foraging on fallen mulberries in late spring. The foxes are very cautious and continually pause in their eating to survey their surroundings, which is how you’d expect a healthy gray fox to behave.