PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) are announcing that a North Providence couple was exposed to rabies by feeding a raccoon that later was tested and found to be carrying the rabies virus. DEM reminds the public that feeding wild animals is illegal and can often lead to unintended problems including the possible transmission of diseases. DEM urges Rhode Islanders never to intentionally feed wildlife.
On Aug. 31 an Environmental Police Officer (EPO) with DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement responded to a call placed from North Providence. Upon arriving, the EPO spoke with the couple and observed that the raccoon was an adult that had an injured foot and trouble balancing. The EPO euthanized the raccoon. On Sept. 1 he submitted it to RIDOH State Health Laboratories, which confirmed it positive for rabies Sept. 2.
Rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal that infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death, according to RIDOH. There has not been a human case of rabies in Rhode Island since 1940. However, the raccoon-adapted strain of the rabies virus is widely found in the wild animal population throughout Rhode Island. Animals with the greatest susceptibility to this strain are raccoons, foxes, skunks, bats, and woodchucks. These mammals are known as high-risk “target species.” Unimmunized pets and stray cats, dogs, and ferrets (low-risk animals) can acquire rabies through exposure to high-risk animals.
“Situations like this highlight the reason why people should keep a safe distance, and keep their pets and livestock a safe distance, from wild animals,” said State Veterinarian and chairman of the RI Rabies Control Board Scott Marshall, DVM. “Any contact with a wild mammal is
