Raccoon. Photo by Darkone. Wikimedia Commons.
Pennsylvania 01/12/12 Pittsburghlive.com: by Jewels Phraner — Penn Township officials are warning residents to be cautious around wild animals after a Harrison City woman was bitten by a raccoon on her porch and had to undergo a series of rabies shots. The township issued the warning in a news release on Wednesday, but did not provide further details about the incident.
Mangabey monkey.
National January 2012 newscientist.com: by Peter Aldhous — The illegal bushmeat trade not only threatens the survival of endangered species in Africa, but could also lead to outbreaks of deadly human diseases in North America and Europe. A pilot study of bushmeat seized at US airports has found ape and monkey parts infected with retroviruses and herpesviruses. None of these viruses were known killers, but this small study has just scratched the surface of a trade that is known to be large.
“Seventy-five per cent of emerging diseases move to humans from wildlife, either directly or through our livestock,” says Kristine Smith, a wildlife veterinarian with the EcoHealth Alliance in New York City who led the study. The bushmeat trade could provide a hidden conduit for disease transmission, the researchers say.
Gambian giant rat.
The legal trade in exotic pets is already known to pose a similar risk. In 2003, an outbreak of monkeypox infected dozens of people across several US states. It was traced to an animal dealer near Chicago, where an imported Gambian giant rat gave the virus to prairie dogs that were later sold as family pets. A thriving trade in smuggled bushmeat in Europe and North America has been uncovered in recent years. Smith’s study, which involved a large team from organisations including the Wildlife Conservation Society and the American Museum of Natural History, both in New York City, is the first to examine how the smuggling could trigger outbreaks of human disease. – For complete article see http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21347-lethal-viruses-could-leap-continents-in-bushmeat-trade.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news
Connecticut 01/11/12 Waterford, New London County: The Ledge Light Health District has announced that a raccoon found in the Shore Road area has tested positive for rabies. See http://www.theday.com/article/20120111/NWS04/120119880/1047/NWS
North Carolina 01/12/12 Wilmington, New Hanover County: An injured feral cat picked up at Hart Street residence earlier week is the first animal to test positive for rabies in New Hanover County this year. See http://www.wwaytv3.com/2012/01/12/first-rabies-case-of-2012-reported-new-hanover-county
North Carolina 01/12/12 Guilford County: A raccoon found on Buckingham Road is the first confirmed case of rabies in the county this year. See http://www.news-record.com/content/2012/01/12/article/guilford_reports_first_rabies_case_of_2012
Oklahoma 01/12/12 Purcell, McClain County: A skunk captured in the backyard of an animal clinic earlier this month tested positive for rabies. See http://www.purcellregister.com/articles/2012/01/12/news/doc4f0dbdd6ceeba390959177.txt
Texas 01/12/12 Corsicana, Navarro County: A skunk shot by police within the city limits last week has tested positive for rabies. See http://www.athensreview.com/breakingnews/x2145132945/Rabid-skunks-confirmed-in-Corsicana
Virginia 01/12/12 Patrick County: State officials confirm a horse in the southern part of the county has tested positive for rabies. See http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/jan/12/rabies-confirmed-patrick-county-horse-ar-1607390/
Follow-Up Reports:
(See November 3, 2011: Lone GRAY WOLF in Oregon travels 300 miles crossing Cascades looking for mate and new territory; November 12, 2011: Oregon Wild launches CONTEST for youngsters to come up with new name for a lone GRAY WOLF known only as OR-7; November 15, 2011: OREGON’s OR-7 lone WOLF crosses into Jackson County; December 13, 2011: OREGON’s wandering lone WOLF – OR-7 – captures the imagination of a worldwide audience; December 20, 2011: The now famous OREGON GRAY WOLF known as OR-7 is still traveling alone; January 3, 2012: CALIFORNIA officials confirm GRAY WOLF OR -7 has crossed state line.)
California 01/12/12 sacbee.com: A lone gray wolf that has zigzagged hundreds of miles through Oregon and California has been moving east and is now in Lassen County. California wildlife officials said Tuesday that the male wolf, the first gray seen in the state in more than 80 years, moved from eastern Shasta County to the state’s northeastern Lassen County this week.
