'Leave Cute, Cuddly Wildlife Alone,' Montgomery County Health Officials Say

SILVER SPRING, MD — County health and animal control officials sent out a statement Wednesday cautioning residents to resist the urge to “rescue” young wild animals, as the animals may have rabies and humans risk exposure by handling the animals.

In recent weeks, there have been several instances where individuals handled young animals and then had to receive a series of rabies vaccinations over a 14-day period, health officials said. Instead of handling animals yourself, you can report sick, injured or nuisance wildlife by calling toll-free in Maryland 1-877-463-6497.

“Rabies is a serious disease transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal. It is nearly always fatal unless preventive treatment with rabies vaccination is administered,” said Cindy Edwards, RN, Senior Nurse Administrator of Communicable Disease and Epidemiology, Department of Health and Human Services. “Wild baby animals may be cute and cuddly, but they should be left outside.”

Even when the young animals; such as squirrels, raccoons and baby foxes do not have rabies, individuals endanger the animals by interfering with their natural adaptation and development of basic survival skills.

In the U.S., rabies is predominately seen in wildlife. Wild animals that might appear as needing help or rehabilitation may in fact be debilitated because of diseases such as rabies. Maryland law prohibits residents from possessing certain wild animals, including raccoons and foxes, because these and other animals can pose a significant risk to humans. Only licensed wildlife rehabilitators should handle wildlife, health officials said.

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