Brightly colored signs warning runners and other athletes of possibly rabid animals in the area have been posted around the various facilities at the University of Mary Washington's Battlefield Athletic Complex off Hanover Street. MIKE MORONES/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Rabies advisory renewed after two more wild-animal incidents at UMW complex.

Date published: 6/22/2005

By JIM HALL

Officials at the University of Mary Washington are urging caution after two incidents last week involving wild animals on campus.

A skunk and fox were said to be behaving strangely at the Battleground Athletic Complex on Friday, June 17. The reports followed a similar one by a student who said she was attacked by a fox and bitten on the shoe at the athletic fields on Hanover Street on June 5. She was not injured.

Officials suspect that the animals may be rabid, though no animals have been tested. No one has been injured.

The skunk was spotted Friday morning in a ditch near the baseball field on the southern end of the complex. The animal was obviously ill and made no attempt to escape, said Joni Wilson, director of landscaping and grounds for the university.

Tom Worthy, Fredericksburg's animal control officer, came to the campus and easily captured the skunk.

"He was too sick to struggle," Wilson said.

The skunk died later in the back of Worthy's truck. Health Department officials declined to test the animal's brain for rabies since the skunk did not menace anyone.

That same morning, a jogger reported seeing a fox behaving strangely between the baseball and softball fields. Worthy and others looked for the fox but did not find it, Wilson said.

University officials had posted warning signs at the entrances to the complex after the June 5 incident, but revised them and posted additional signs last Friday.

The new signs warn: "Wild animals are in this area and may be rabid. Please report any unusual animal behavior to the UMW police."

The warnings coincided with the start of the university's popular summer sports camps. The camps began this week and continue until the end of July. Hundreds of local girls and boys will be at the complex each day to play lacrosse, tennis, volleyball, soccer, softball, field hockey and baseball.

"The people in that area need to be conscious of their surroundings," said Rachel Thomas, environmental health specialist for the Rappahannock Area Health District.

Thomas said that some people might want to help a wild animal that seems sick or injured.

"Don't try to help," she said. "Stay away from the wild animals."

Wild animals, such as raccoons and foxes, are a common sight at the athletic complex, Wilson said. The animals live in the wooded areas along Hazel Run adjacent to the ball fields.

The incidence of rabies in the region appears to be on the decline, compared to prior years. So far this year, four animals have been confirmed with rabies, Thomas said. These include a fox in Caroline County, a raccoon in Stafford County and two raccoons in Spotsylvania County.

King George County and Fredericksburg have not had any rabies cases.

All of the rabid animals were captured and tested after they made contact with domestic animals, such as dogs, cats or horses, Thomas said.

In 2003 and again in 2004, the region had 24 cases of rabies in wild animals. No people have contracted rabies.

Rabies is a serious viral disease carried in the saliva and brain of infected animals. It can be transmitted through a bite or by contact with saliva or brain tissue.

Rabies in humans is rare. The U.S. had two fatal cases in 2003, including a 25-year-old man in Fairfax County, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Virginia Department of Health says that if you are bitten by a wild animal, wash the wound thoroughly and seek medical help.

To reach JIM HALL: 540/374-5433jhall@freelancestar.com

Date published: 6/22/2005