Rabid Raccoon Removed From Camden County Yard

HADDON HEIGHTS, NJ — A rabid raccoon was removed from a yard in Haddon Heights, Camden County Health Department officials said on Tuesday.

"We are not able to disclose the exact neighborhood or street," Molly Shelly, Camden County's External Communications Manager, said in response to Patch's question about a more specific location as to where the rabid raccoon was found.

The raccoon was found dead in the Haddon Heights yard on Wednesday, according to the health department. The county was informed Tuesday that the raccoon had rabies, according to the health department.

There are no known interactions between people and this rabid raccoon, the health department said. There also appears to have been no interactions between the family's dog and the rabid raccoon, the health department said.

Since the dog's owners provided paperwork that indicated their dog was vaccinated against rabies, the dog was administered a rabies booster shot and "will be under confinement and observation for 45 days," the health department said.

Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. encouraged all Camden County residents to follow these steps to limit the spread of rabies:

• Keep rabies vaccinations current for all dogs, cats and ferrets."
• Watch your pets to ensure they do not come in contact with wild animals. If your pet is bitten by such an animal, get veterinary help for that pet immediately.
• Reach out to your local animal control agency to remove any stray animals from your neighborhood. Do not bring such animals into your home, do not adopt them, do not feed them and do not try to "nurse" sick stray animals back to health.
• Stay away from — and teach children to stay away from — wild animals such as raccoons, skunks and foxes, "even if they seem friendly."
• Keep bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools and similar type buildings.
• Avoid "direct contact" with wild animals and dogs when visiting developing countries.

From Jan. 1, 2022, through March 31, 2022, five cases of rabies were detected in Camden County, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. Four of these cases were detected in raccoons and the other case was detected in a cat, the state department of health added.

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