Feral Hog. Photo by Frank Vincentz. Wikimedia Commons.
Michigan 08/25/11 ourmidland.com: by Steve Griffin – Efforts to reduce or eliminate wild swine in the Midland area will likely be ratcheted up following discovery this month of the disease pseudo-rabies in a wild boar in Midland County. The disease, which despite its similar-sounding name is not related to rabies, was detected in a female Eurasian or Russian boar trapped, killed and tested earlier this summer, said Dr. James Averill, director of the Animal Industry Division of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Urban Development. That was the sixth documented case of the disease in Michigan, Averill said Wednesday. Averill declined to say where in the county the boar was trapped. He said that crews from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program, along with the conservation group the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, are trapping and euthanizing wild swine throughout the state. That effort will likely become more emphatic now in Midland County. “The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy and USDA Wildlife Services will try to mobilize more traps here,” he said.
Feral hogs include animals that have escaped or been released from hunting preserves, domestic swine escaped from farms and living in the wild, or a mix. They are known to destroy wildlife habitat, wreak havoc on gardens, yards and crops and spread disease to wild and domestic animals. “We test (euthanized) wild swine for several different diseases,” said Averill. “This one proved positive for pseudo-rabies,” which he classified as a livestock disease not known to affect humans. He said infection is possible, but not common, in cattle, horses, dogs, cats, sheep and goats. Averill said pseudo-rabies is among the herpes viruses. Animals under stress can shed the virus, exposing other animals to it. Michigan is currently classified as a pseudo-rabies-free state, said the veterinarian, a label very important to the pork industry. Otherwise, expensive vaccination is required, and shipment of domestic swine out of state restricted. “We want to do all we can to make sure it doesn’t get (back) into the pork industry,” said Averill.
Officials are trying to keep tabs on the swine, whose Michigan populations are estimated at 1,000 to 5,000 animals, Averill said. As for the local population, “Trying to say how many are in Midland County just is not possible.” Some of the local feral swine may be the progeny of escapees from a sport swine facility here seven or eight years ago. Citizens can help battle feral swine in a couple of ways, he said. Prompt reports of wild swine sightings (to the DNR at 517-336-5030) can put trapping crews on the trail of the far-ranging animals. Hunters and others can help by killing the swine themselves. Anyone with a hunting license or a concealed weapon permit can shoot them at any time in daylight on publicly-owned lands. On private land, anyone with landowner permission can shoot them without a license or permit.
Last year, then-DNR-director Becky Humphries issued an order designating feral hogs as an invasive species, unlawful to possess; the order was to take effect in June unless the state Legislature enacted legislation regulating the hunting preserve industry. DNR Director Rodney Stokes, at Gov. Rick Snyder’s request, pushed that deadline back to October, according to the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, and announced enforcement will begin next April unless regulations are enacted. Bills regulating the sporting swine industry have been introduced but not enacted. MUCC said this week it opposes the bills in their current forms. The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, meanwhile, has said it “is opposed to any attempts by the Legislature to merely regulate rather than ban the destructive animals.”
California 08/26/11 kcra.com: After an erratic skunk was caught inside the Downtown Plaza parking structure, Sacramento County health officials alerted mall patrons that more skunk, which could be infected with rabies, might lurk the area, Sacramento city officials said. Earlier this month, police got a call that a person at the mall was being chased by a skunk. That skunk later tested positive for rabies. The animal was caught by city animal control services. The man who caught the skunk was sprayed. Upon the request from the Sacramento County Health and Human Services, 30 signs were posted in the parking garage, warning customers and passers-by of skunk. 
A two-mile stretch between Miller Park and the Plaza is cause for concern because city and county officials said it is a high-density area of skunk. On Friday, two skunks were caught at Miller Park. City animal control also set up traps in the Downtown Plaza parking lot. One skunk was caught but it tested negative for the disease. The city and county is also concerned about a massive, 900-feral-cat colony near the parking garage in Sacramento.
Kansas 08/26/11 wibw.com: A suburban Kansas City man says he suffered scratches on his head after he was attacked by an aggressive hawk while running. Brian Foster says he was jogging early Thursday morning in Overland Park, Kan., when something smacked him in the back of the head. KMBC-TV 
reports that Foster initially thought he was being attacked by someone, but turned around to see a bird with a big wingspan flying away. Foster says he immediately headed back home because he was bleeding and reported the bird attack to police. Johnson County residents have been warned recently about aggressive hawks going after small animals. Foster, who works for the TV station, says he wasn’t badly hurt, but he did end up with a headache.
Alabama 08/26/11 andalusiastarnews.com: by Stephanie Nelson – Three people – including two Straughn High School students – are undergoing rabies treatment after being bitten by a rabid fox last Thursday night. Two sisters, along with one’s father, were attacked in separate incidents at their Rose Hill home, said Joanna Straughn, aunt and sister of the victims. Bobby Jo Harper, an environmentalist at the Covington County Health Department, said the state has confirmed the fox was rabid. Harper said this is the first fox to test positive for the disease this year. (For complete article go to http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2011/08/26/rabid-fox-attacks-3/ )
Alabama 08/25/11 dothaneagle.com: by Matt Elofson – The Houston County Health Department recently confirmed the county’s fourth case of animal rabies for 2011. According to a statement from the health department, a fox found Saturday off Holmes Road tested positive for rabies. The health department investigation revealed the fox attacked a (woman) in her yard. The (woman) asked the health department to test the fox for rabies. The health department recommended that she seek advice from a doctor. According to the statement, there were five rabid animals found in Houston County during 2010, all of which were raccoons.
Virginia 08/25/11 dailypress.com: A fox that bit a woman in the foot tested positive for rabies, the Suffolk Health Department said. This happened in the Kenyon Road area of Suffolk. The woman is receiving post-exposure vaccine. Residents should seek prompt medical attention for any animal bite. Residents whose pets were in contact with an animal that might be rabid should call animal control at 514-7855 or the Health Department at 514-4751.
Elkhart County
Indiana 08/25/11 wndu.com: by Barbara Harrington – Elkhart County health officials say a 60-year-old Goshen woman died this week from West Nile. The health department isn’t releasing the woman’s name. They say the woman had no history of underlying disease and no major health problems, but her age put her at a high risk for complications. “Younger people often seem to deal better with the infection,” he said. “But older individuals may be at risk for the brain inflammation which can be life-threatening.” The case is the first clinical infection in the county this year. Although this isn’t the county’s worst mosquito summer, Dr. Daniel Nafziger says residents still need to take precautions, like wearing insect repellent containing DEET and minimizing standing water. If they don’t, Nafziger says residents could contract West Nile from local mosquitoes. Even then, the symptoms of the virus are hard to recognize. “When people get inflammation in their brain they may just get confused so it may actually be more helpful for family members if they notice that there’s something different about the way their loved one’s behaving, to have them seek medical attention,” he said. While it wasn’t the case this week, Nafziger says in most incidents, treatment works. This is the first West Nile death reported this year in Indiana. Last year just one person died in the state while 20 were sickened. On Wednesday, health officials in Jefferson County reported the state’s first human case of the illness this year.
California 08/25/11 the-signal.com: by Cory Minderhout – A seventh rabid bat has been found in the Santa Clarita Valley in a backyard, a Health Department official said Thursday. The latest rabid bat was found Aug. 16 in Santa Clarita outside a home on a patio, said Dr. Karen Ehnert, acting director for the veterinary public health and rabies control program for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. So far, 20 rabid bats have been found in Los Angeles County this year, according to the Health Department’s website. Normally, eight to 10 rabid bats are found in L.A. County each year, Ehnert said. “When one bat brings rabies into the colony, they tend to interact closely with the other bats and infect them as well,” Ehnert said. “The bats in Santa Clarita live in large colonies that are close together.” Individuals who see a live or dead bat should not touch it, Ehnert said. Instead, they should cover it and call their local animal control agency, which will pick the bat up and give it to the Health Department for rabies testing, Ehnert said.
Indiana 08/26/11 fox59.com: Marion County Public Health Department officials want to talk to anyone living in the Windsor Court Apartment complex, 7302 Queen Ann Court, who may have come in contact with a bat flying around the complex in the last several weeks. The bat has tested positive for rabies and poses a potential health threat to anyone who may have touched it or come in contact with its saliva. Health officials are especially concerned because several residents have reported seeing the bat flying in close proximity to a young man fishing in the lake. The man’s identity remains unknown. Reports of an aggressive bat acting erratically around the apartment complex pond were received August 17. A dead bat was subsequently found at the complex two days later on August 19. Indiana State Department of Health testing confirmed the bat had rabies. “Rabies is a serious disease that can be fatal. It is critical we locate anyone who had contact with this bat so we can provide critical information and any appropriate follow-up care,” said Melissa McMasters, nurse epidemiologist, Marion County Public Health Department. Health officials believe only one bat is involved and that it is the one that has been tested. Anyone living in or visiting the Windsor Court Apartment Complex who may have come in contact with a bat is encouraged to immediately call the Marion County Public Health Department at (317) 221-2106.
Nebraska 08/26/11 wowt.com: by John Chapman – Rabid bats have been found in Omaha and the Nebraska Humane Society is warning people to protect themselves against rabies. Once the weather cools, bats try to move into homes and during the past week the Humane Society has already fielded more than 100 calls dealing with bats. Bats often find their way into homes in older neighborhoods. Kay York has lived in the Dundee neighborhood for more than 40 years. She had a garage sale on Friday and five or six times a year she pulls out her bat-catching gear and captures bats that fly into her home. “We’ve had bats come in on the east side of the house and they come down through the walls and the basement. You never know what room they’re gonna go into.” Kay uses gloves and a coffee can to catch the bats if they land. She has a net to grab them out of the air if they fly around the house, though the Humane Society doesn’t approve. It would rather catch the bats for you. “If you see a bat in your home, don’t try to capture it yourself,” says the Humane Society’s Mark Langan. “Try to isolate it in a room, put towels under the door so it stays in the room, call the Humane Society. We’ll come out and get it for you.” The Humane Society will test the bats for rabies and it should, because it’s hard to tell once you’ve been bitten. “You could be bitten while you’re asleep, its not like a bite from a large animal, you may not even notice it,” says Phil Rooney with the Douglas County Health Department. Isn’t Kay afraid of bats? “Used to be, but then nobody else would catch them but me, so I’m not afraid of them anymore.” Lately, Kay hasn’t had a problem with bats as they seem to have flown away after a friend gave her a new welcome mat with a bat on it. “I put it by the back door and I haven’t had any for three to four months. I don’t know if that’s a sign or not.” Is it scaring them away? “I don’t know, hope so.” The best thing you can do is try to keep the bats out by bat-proofing your home by closing any openings larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch, making sure your windows and doors are shut tight.
Nevada 08/25/11 foxreno.com: The Nevada Department of Agriculture is confirming a fourth bat in Washoe County has tested positive for rabies this summer. The announcement comes as officials say the state agency usually confirms rabies in 6 to 17 bats each year, typically between the months of May and October.
New York 08/26/11 myabc50.com: by Holly Boname – A public health advisory has been issued for Lewis County after a case of rabies was discovered by the New York State Department of Health. On August 25th, the Lewis County Public Health Office was notified that a raccoon that was killed tested positive for rabies. This is the fourth animal this year to be discovered with rabies in Lewis County. So far two raccoons, a cow and cat have contracted the disease that the public health office is aware of. For more information about rabies or to contact the Lewis County Public Health Agency call 315-376-5453.
North Carolina 08/25/11 the-dispatch.com: A fox found Tuesday in the Sapona community has become the 12th case of rabies in Davidson County this year, according to the county health department. The fox possibly exposed a goat, which was destroyed. There was no human exposure reported.
Oklahoma 08/26/11 newson6.com: The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is seeking the public’s help to find a woman who was giving away a litter of chow mix puppies in the parking lot of a Guthrie Walgreens last week. According to health officials, one puppy adopted from the litter developed neurologic disease. Rabies testing at the OSDH Public Health Laboratory was inconclusive. According to the OSDH, the puppies were being offered for adoption at the Walgreens parking lot at 1621 S. Division Street, in front of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Guthrie, on August 17. Officials say the puppies were being distributed by a woman, from an older white minivan or station wagon with rust. The woman was accompanied by a man. The puppies were between six and nine weeks of age and tan-brown in color. Public health officials are asking this woman, or anyone who may know her to contact the OSDH Acute Disease Service’s Epidemiologist-on-Call at (405) 271-4060 or (800) 234-5963 (24/7/365 availability). Officials say they need to speak with this woman to gather additional information regarding the puppies and whether they might have bitten anyone.
Pennsylvania 08/25/11 patch.com: by Danielle Vickery – A raccoon found in Lower Merion Township has tested positive for rabies in the first case of animal rabies in Montgomery County this year. The raccoon tested positive after a resident of the 200 block of Llanfair Road in Ardmore submitted it to the Department of Agriculture in Harrisburg, according to a release issued by Lower Merion Township Thursday afternoon. If you, a family member or a pet have had any contact with a raccoon or any other stray or wild animal, call the Montgomery County Health Department, Division of Communicable Disease Control at 610-278-5117 immediately, the release states.
Wyoming 08/26/11 kgwn.tv: by Kyle Markley – Since the beginning of 2011 there have been over a dozen cases of rabies in the Cheyenne area. At the Cheyenne Animal Shelter there have been 13 cases of rabies to be exact, many of them coming this summer. And while no pets or livestock have yet been afflicted they say it could be just a matter of time. All 13 of those cases have been skunks and just recently there’s been a case of a rabid bat in the area. “So far, knock on wood, there’s been no known cases in this area where the skunks or the bat has actually caused rabies in a dog, cat or even the livestock. We’re waiting to see that happen,” Rick Collord said. Collord says within the last year there have been cases of livestock contracting rabies in northern Wyoming and he wants people to get their livestock vaccinated here.
Canada:
Ontario 08/26/11 thesudburystar.com: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has notified the Sudbury and District Health Unit Health that two dead bats found in homes in Chelmsford and Espanola have tested positive for rabies. For more information on bats and rabies, phone 522-9200, ext. 398, or visit www.sdhu.com.
Follow-Up Report:
Massachusetts 08/25/11 patriotledger.com: (See August 26, 2011 post: Massachusetts 2-year-old attacked by COYOTE.) Police believe a coyote that attacked a toddler on Wednesday has most likely died after being shot by an officer later that night. Lt. Richard Fuller said there have been no sightings of the animal since police were called to a Main Street home at about 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, where an officer fired two shots at the coyote, which then ran into the woods. Police continued searching the woods in South Weymouth on Thursday. They didn’t find the coyote, but did find blood they believe came from the animal, Fuller said. “They haven’t found it yet and their belief is that it’s probably expired,” he said. “We’re hopeful it’s deceased deep in the woods.” Local police and state Environmental Police began searching for the coyote after it approached a 2-year-old girl on Clarendon Street at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, bit her on the head and then ran into the woods. She was treated at South Shore Hospital and began receiving shots to prevent rabies. The search was called off after several hours, but police were called back in the evening when the coyote reappeared. The girl, who was walking with her grandmother when she was attacked, suffered non-life threatening injuries, including a laceration on her head. Coyotes are common throughout Massachusetts, but they rarely attack people unless they feel that their offspring are threatened or they are sick or rabid. Police said that the animal’s description and behavior led them to believe that it was the same one that attacked the child. (For complete article go to http://www.patriotledger.com/news/cops_and_courts/x865769885/Coyote-attacks-toddler-in-Weymouth )
New York 08/25/11 watertowndailytimes.com: by Daniel Woolfolk — (See August 26, 2011 post: New York soldier returning from deployment diagnosed with RABIES) – A soldier was diagnosed Friday with rabies, although he likely contracted the disease during a recent overseas deployment. Military officials will not release the soldier’s name, condition or the country in which the infection was contracted, but a source in the north country community said the soldier had been bitten by a dog in Afghanistan. Thomas W. Skinner, a spokesman for the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the public should not be alarmed. “Rabies is not something that is likely transmitted from person to person,” he said. “You have to have direct contact with an infected individual’s saliva to really acquire this infection.” The CDC, the Department of Defense and the state Health Department are monitoring the soldier’s care. They also are checking on other potential cases, Mr. Skinner said. “There are efforts under way … to track down anybody who they believe may have had direct close contact with this person in order to assess whether or not that individual should receive post-rabies vaccinations,” he said.
Dogs are the source of 99 percent of rabies cases in humans, according to the World Health Organization, which recommends on its website that wounds be washed immediately and the patient receive a post-exposure vaccination if rabies is suspected. It’s unclear how far along the soldier’s infection is, but no diagnosis process can detect the infection before symptoms emerge, according to the organization. It recommends treatment begin days after being exposed to prevent death. WHO publications state that more than 55,000 people die from the infection each year worldwide. However, more than 15 million people are treated with a rabies post-exposure regimen, which saves an estimated 327,000 lives. The Fort Drum soldier has the first confirmed rabies case in Jefferson County that Stephen A. Jennings, public information officer for Jefferson County Public Health, can remember. Times staff writer David C. Shampine contributed to this report.
Wisconsin 08/25/11 usatoday.com: by Dinesh Ramde – (See August 15, 2011 post: CDC seeks contact with passengers that shared Delta flight 5121 with a Bat, and Follow-Up Report of August 18, 2011.) Federal and state investigators found no evidence to substantiate reports of a bat infestation at the Madison airport and have closed their investigation, officials said Thursday.
Regional Airport. Madison, Wisconsin.
The inquiry followed an Aug. 5 incident in which a bat made its way onto a Delta flight from Madison to Atlanta. Authorities interviewed baggage handlers in Madison afterward who reported seeing live bats in the area as well as dead bats on the ground. Their comments raised concerns that a colony had taken up residence at the airport. However, investigators found nothing to support either report. “There was no evidence of a bat infestation,” Danielle Buttke, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press. “At this point it appears this was an isolated incident.” (For complete article go to http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2011-08-25/Officials-No-bat-infestation-at-Madison-airport/50139038/1 )
Natural Unseen Hazards Blog 
I lived in Boston for a couple of years and it’s amazing how often red-tailed hawks attack people in the city. A couple years ago a girl was attacked in Fenway Park while watching a game!