Rabid skunk found in St. Catharines, the fifth in Niagara this year
Published June 20, 2022 at 3:17 pm
A rabid skunk was found in St. Catharines indicating a potential health risk to the town’s residents.
This is the fifth rabid skunk found in the region this year. This puts Niagara on track to find a similar number as last year which saw 14 rabid animals, 12 skunks and two raccoons.
Skunks are generally non-aggressive, usually spraying their potent scent and running away. As a result skunk bites are quite rare. However, rabies has a “maddog” evolutionary strategy that turns otherwise docile animals very aggressive.
Skunks rank as the third most likely animal to suffer rabies at 24.7 per cent of cases, behind only raccoons (32.4) and bats (27.2). The virus enters their bloodstream most often via a bite transferred through the animal’s saliva.
While symptoms take a while to set in, if humans are bitten, eventually the brain swells resulting in nausea, vomiting, violent movements, excitement, fear of water, partial paralysis, confusion, coma and eventually death.
Once these symptoms appear the disease “is virtually 100% fatal,” per the World Health Organization.
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Animals with rabies often exhibit behavioural clues to their infection. In the case of skunks, the normally nocturnal creatures will roam out during the day. They may have trouble moving and look like they are having a seizure.
Rabid skunks will often lose their sense of fear around humans. Normally skittish, a healthy skunk is far more likely to turn tail and run away. However rabies hijacks the nervous system and pushes for aggressive behaviour.
Finally a rabies victim, due the fear of water, is unable to swallow any of its own saliva. The excess builds up creating a foaming at the mouth. This enables the virus to spread more easily.
However, due to the long interval between infection and onset of symptoms a skunk maybe rabid, but still not show symptoms. Niagara Health said all wildlife bites need to be assessed medically.
They also advise residents to;
- keep dogs and cats vaccinated
- don’t leave pets unleashed or unsupervised outdoors,
- Avoid all contact with wild animals and prevent contact between pets and wildlife
- Report wild animals exhibiting abnormal behaviour (particularly raccoons) to local animal control services:
- Welland SPCA: 905-735-1552
- Lincoln County Humane Society: 905-682-0767
- Niagara Falls Humane Society: 905-356-4404
- Fort Erie Humane Society: 905-871-2461
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