Groundhog with rabies shot dead
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PostPosted: Fri, Nov 24 2006, 7:31 pm EST    Post subject: Groundhog with rabies shot dead Reply with quote

Several incidents lead to search for diseased animal

A groundhog that tried to attack a man and his dog was found near Plainsboro and Petty roads and tested positive for rabies on Nov. 17, according to a press release issued by the Middlesex County Public Health Department.

This is the first case of a rabid animal reported in Cranbury in 10 years and the 18th reported in Middlesex County this year, according to Middlesex County Public Health Department Director David Papi.

According to the press release, the groundhog was seen chasing a Cranbury resident's dog when it began acting aggressively toward the homeowner, eventually grabbing the man's pants. The press release said the homeowner then shot the animal. A Cranbury animal control officer was present during the incident, according to the county Health Department. Health Department officials who would not release the resident's name.

Rabies is a virus most commonly found in the saliva of raccoons, bats, skunks, groundhogs, foxes, cats and dogs, which make up 95 percent of the animals diagnosed with the virus in the United States, according to the press release. The virus can be transmitted to humans, as well as other animals, through a bite or by contamination of an open wound.

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