Bear tests positive for rabies
A black bear found dead in Hyde County in Eastern North Carolina has tested positive for rabies, the first known case of a rabies-positive black bear in the state, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
Fairfield resident Johnny Dale contacted the Commission on Dec. 17 after finding the yearling male bear dead at his game feeder. Dale said that he saw the bear the previous day and that it was alive but lethargic and unable to move. Since the cause of death wasn’t obvious Commission personnel did an initial necropsy and sent the bear off to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia for further testing. On Dec. 21, the SCWDS informed the Commission that the bear had died of rabies.
Rabies is a fatal disease that can affect all mammals, but it is “extremely rare” in wild black bears, according to the Commission’s black bear biologist Colleen Olfenbuttel — it has been documented only four times in the lower 48 states since 1999, she said. Rabies is contracted only through direct contact with the saliva, tears or nervous tissue of an infected animal.
Never handle or eat any animal that appears to be sick or acting abnormally. Never handle dead animals with bare hands, allow pets near them or handle the brain and spinal cord more than necessary.
Contact the N.C. Wildlife Helpline with any information about dead bears or bears exhibiting disease symptoms at 866.318.2401. On weekends, call 800.662.7137 instead.
