Tag Archives: rabies

The Opossum Rabies Bluff

Opossums are great fakers. In addition to very convincingly “playing dead,” their other common defense mechanism is to stagger, sway, drool, open their jaws, and hiss when frightened. To anyone with a passing familiarity with rabies— even if only from old movies— it’s easy to mistake these behaviors for symptoms of a serious and fatalContinue reading “The Opossum Rabies Bluff”

Why Vaccinate Wildlife?

“Why vaccinate wildlife?” This is a question we hear a lot, and it’s fair enough. After all, animals don’t get vaccines in the wild. We like to put it this way: imagine a pandemic that is nearly 100% fatal and is as contagious as the common cold. Imagine it is contagious for about a weekContinue reading “Why Vaccinate Wildlife?”

Relocating Wildlife Spreads Disease

Please, please stop relocating wildlife. Arya’s mother’s story is one of many that we hope will convince people to stop moving wild animals around. Arya came to us a couple of weeks ago after her mother had been “humanely relocated” after ending up in someone’s attic. Within two days of admission, she began to developContinue reading “Relocating Wildlife Spreads Disease”

About that guy who yeeted the bobcat…

Have you see that viral video of a bobcat attacking a woman, then getting grabbed and thrown by her husband? Some people found it hilarious. Others found it terrifying. A few called it fake, correctly observing that bobcat attacks on humans are extremely rare. The video is unfortunately real, but we need to emphasize thatContinue reading “About that guy who yeeted the bobcat…”

That Friendly Animal May Not Be Your Reincarnated Loved One

Ok here’s what I wrote and it will go live tomorrow. Thank you guys! The world works in mysterious ways, and people can find messages hidden in anything. Grief is painful, and it’s only human nature to look for signs that our loved ones are still with us. Sometimes we come across animals in ourContinue reading “That Friendly Animal May Not Be Your Reincarnated Loved One”

Do Raccoons Hibernate?

Raccoons right now are going through many changes to prepare for winter. They’re becoming much more crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) rather than strictly nocturnal and are developing a strong instinct to forage on high-fat foods and seek shelters. All these changes prepare them “Diet Hibernation,” known more scientifically as torpor. Torpor differs fromContinue reading “Do Raccoons Hibernate?”

Bats Make Scary Faces to “See” Better

A lot of people find bats creepy. There are a lot of reasons for this, such as their mythical association with vampires and ghouls. One thing that makes people nervous about bats is that their faces often look menacing and aggressive, like they’re threatening to bite. But this weird grimace isn’t what you think. WhenContinue reading “Bats Make Scary Faces to “See” Better”

Rabies in coyotes? Rare and unlikely.

You might have read the very alarming news articles about a father in New Hampshire who strangled a coyote to death when it attacked his two-year-old. For Fox Sake commends this incredible dad for his strength and bravery in the face of such a terrifying incident. Preying on humans is not normal behavior for aContinue reading “Rabies in coyotes? Rare and unlikely.”

Your “pet” raccoon will be killed. It’s your fault.

Folks, we need to have a talk. This isn’t a pleasant, cute, or cuddly talk, but it’s one that we Tennessean animal lovers need to have. I get calls all the time from people who find baby raccoons and, instead of calling a qualified rehabilitator, they choose to raise the animal as a pet. ByContinue reading “Your “pet” raccoon will be killed. It’s your fault.”