The city of Fair Oaks Ranch is urging residents to take extra precautions after two wild animals tested positive for rabies within the past week — an unusual spike given the short time frame, even for the peak summer months.
The discovery has City Animal Services Officer Sara Cleboski urging pet owners to pay attention to surrounding areas.
In both recent incidents, the infected animals were found near pets that were let out without the owners first checking the property.
The City of Fair Oaks Ranch posted notice of the incidents to social media on Thursday, June 5, saying that while it’s not uncommon for city staff to discover wild animals with rabies during this time of the year, two cases within a short window is notable.
“Public safety officials have confirmed two cases of rabies found in Fair Oaks Ranch in the past week. Please avoid contact with wild animals and ensure your pets are vaccinated,” the post reads.
State law requires that animals who come into contact with rabid wildlife be placed in an isolated quarantine, depending on their vaccination status.
Just this past April, Kendall County saw its first confirmed case of rabies for the year when the owners of a horse discovered a dead raccoon in one of their stables, concluding that the wild animal had been kicked to death by their horse. The raccoon tested positive for rabies, and the horse was placed in a 90-day isolation period.
The Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department said in the comments of the city’s shared Facebook post that one skunk and one fox had been found in the north and south ends of the city.
The fox was picked up on Scarteen, a roadway not far from the Cascade Caverns preserve, and a skunk on Elkhorn Ridge, just a few minutes from Interstate 10 off of exit 546.
Both animals tested positive for the virus, and officers also picked up a second skunk on Man O’War, but it was not tested. Officers did not say on Facebook what happened to the additional skunk but confirmed another case found in a raccoon back in March.