SPRINGDALE (KFSM)- A skunk found walking near a road in Springdale was confirmed rabid by the Arkansas Department of Health.
The skunk was found less than a mile from Harp Elementary School during the day and was not behaving normally, according to a release from ADH. The skunk wasn’t walking properly, appeared sick and allowed a person to pick it up, the release states.
The ADH suggests parents remind their children not to touch wild animals and to stay away from stray pets.
Rabies is a virus that attacks the brain and spinal cord and is a fatal disease. It’s most often found in Arkansas in skunks and bats. The virus lives in the saliva and nervous tissues of infected animals and is spread when they bite or scratch. It can also spread if saliva from an infected animal touches broken skin, open wounds or the lining of the mouth eyes or nose.
The first sign of rabies in an animal is usually a change in behavior. Rabid animals may attack people or other animals for no reason or they may lose their fear of people and seem unnaturally friendly. Staggering, convulsions, choking, frothing at the mouth and paralysis are often present. Many animals also have a change in voice pitch, such as a muted or off-key tone. An animal infected with the virus usually dies within one week of showing symptoms of rabies.
Cats, dogs, ferrets and livestock can also develop rabies, especially if they’re not vaccinated. All dogs and cats in Arkansas are required to be vaccinated against rabies.
Here are other ways to protect yourself against rabies:
- Don’t feed, touch or adopt wild animals.
- Keep family pets indoors at night.
- Bat-proof your home or summer camp in the fall or winter.
- Encourage children to immediately tell an adult if an animals bites them.
- Teach children to avoid wildlife, strays and all other animals they don’t know well.
Anyone who thinks they have been exposed to an animal with rabies should wash any wounds thoroughly with soap and water and seek medically attention immediately.
So far in 2015, the state has had 14 skunks test positive for rabies. In 2014, there were over 100 rabid skunks in Arkansas, according to the release from ADH.