Possible Rabid Animal

JSMcustoms

JSMcustoms

Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Messages
1,792
I had a possum come through the yard during the middle of the afternoon a day or so ago that I suspect was rabid. It was walking around and seemed disorientated and confused. Not only did it not seemed scared of humans, I'm not sure it knew I was there. I went inside to get a gun to dispatch it, but when I went back out, the animal was gone (couldn't locate it at any rate). I reported it to Animal Control as a possible rabies case. That do you guys think? Was it rabid?
 
Good to know. He's probably still around some place if he hasn't died. There's some fairly thick woods right behind the house that I suspect he wondered back into. We get deer, possums, coyotes etc in the yard all the time, but this is the first time I've seen an animal that wasn't acting quite right.
 
I just had a coyote in the driveway a couple days ago that I think might have been rabid. I turned my truck around in the morning to pull out and it just stood there in front of my truck. It didnt even look at me, turned towards the mountain in front of my house and SLOWLY started to walk up the hill. He had probably walked only 10-15 feet by the time I left. That threw me off as coyotes usually take off running for their life around these parts. He didnt appear to be injured and he actually looked kind of fat.
 
Sounds about right. Had a cat get into a neighbor's antifreeze recently, he's dead now, but he acted in a very similar manner.
 
wroughndt said:
That threw me off as coyotes usually take off running for their life around these parts.
Click to expand...

That's what they do here in the NC mountains, they run at the first site of people. However, packs of them are bit more brave (we get packs roaming the cow pastures in the evening). The one you encountered sounds outside the norm.
 
Ya, it was very strange as I usually cant get within 300 yards of a coyote with a truck without it running. It was the closest I have ever been to a live coyote. BTW, a brave pack of coyotes sounds like a great way to spend an evening ;)
 
JSMcustoms said:
I had a possum come through the yard during the middle of the afternoon a day or so ago that I suspect was rabid. It was walking around and seemed disorientated and confused. Not only did it not seemed scared of humans, I'm not sure it knew I was there. I went inside to get a gun to dispatch it, but when I went back out, the animal was gone (couldn't locate it at any rate). I reported it to Animal Control as a possible rabies case. That do you guys think? Was it rabid?
Click to expand...

Hard to say. I rarely see possum during the day, but when I see them at night they don't seem particularly afraid. I think their eyesight is very poor so they don't see what's coming if you're downwind. Possible that it was just old, I don't think they live past 5 years.
 
I agree with this^. Their eyesight is very poor and they are not particularly intelligent. When they're not looking for anything in particular they kind of wander around like you described until they smell something that interests them.

When I worked for the railroad I had one try to climb my leg while I was checking my train list as my train rolled by. I turned my head to look when I felt something on my calf and mule kicked it when I saw what it was. When he landed he hissed then went in the bushes. I'm pretty sure he thought I was a tree when he was headed up the back of my leg.

I think what you experienced was just a possum being a possum.
 
Maybe, it just seemed really odd to see one out and about in the middle of the afternoon (around 2 PM) seeing as they're nocturnal.
 
Walking across a yard and not paying much attention to you sounds just about right for a opossum. It would be extremely rare for an opossum to have rabies. In fact I believe there may only be a handful of cases where it has ever happened. The virus does not survive well as their body temps are too low.
Behavior is not always a good indicator anyway and the only real way to know if an animal has rabies is to kill it and have it tested. That is not likely to happen anyway unless there has been a human exposure.

Most likely someone or a dog or something disturbed the animal and pushed it from a hiding place. In an urban area, could be someone trapped the opossum in a cage trap and released it and it ended up walking across your yard...or just could have been walking during the day which is not too unusual.
 
My father in law had a fox that kept trying to come in there house. It would sleep on their front porch. Animal Control came and got it. They said it was probably some type of encephalitis, but they didn't suspect rabies.
 
Interesting story.. While any mammal can contract rabies.. It is actually uncommon among possums there body temperature is generally too low to allow replication of the virus in there system.. There temp runs about 3 degrees lower than other mammals. the big 4 as far as the most common wild animals that spread rabies in North America are Bats, Raccoons, skunks, and foxes. That being said, while it is not common for a possum to carry rabies, it is certainly not impossible. always bet to steer clear in my mind. Thanks for sharing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top