An unusually aggressive squirrel attacked five people in a park in Brooklyn
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Several parkgoers from Brooklyn have been the victims of an incredibly aggressive squirrel in Prospect Park. The animal started biting everybody who came in its way, leading to rabies concerns. All people who suffered a bite from it are advised to go see a doctor and take all the preventive means against an infection.
People fell victim to an aggressive squirrel
Five people have been attacked by an unusually aggressive squirrel while walking down the Parkside Avenue and Ocean Avenue alleys in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Since then, the Health Department has urged any other victims to go to an emergency room and get a treatment against rabies. Also, if there are any pets bitten by the animal, they should be taken to a veterinarian.
All the biting incidents occurred between July 18th and July 20th. Four of the victims have already been identified, while the fifth is still unknown. Also, all the events took place in the same area of the park. The patients received the necessary treatment after the bites, so that they won’t get infected.
Given its behavior, the animal must have been rabid
Usually, squirrels do not get infected with rabies. However, do not let yourself be fooled. Most of the time, they are not aggressive, so such a behavior might indicate that the animal was rabid. Therefore, the prophylactic treatment was more than necessary.
People can keep going in the park, but they should be careful not to approach or feed any wild animal. In case they or their pets get bitten, they should receive medical care immediately. If the squirrel was indeed rabid, it must have already died, but other animals could have been infected as well.
So far, there have been no rabid animals identified in Prospect Park or Brooklyn in 2017. In 1992, the New York authorities have started monitoring wildlife, and discovered no rabies-infected squirrel since then.
Image Source: Pixabay