First Aid - Animal Bites & Rabies

RABIES FROM ANIMALS:

If during your trip in the bush you notice a wild animal, that appears to be sick or behaves abnormally, showing ferociousness where it should show fear or a dog behaving in an unusual manner & frothing at the mouth, such an animal may have a rabies.

Foxes normally avoid people; skunk don't usually approach people & try to bite them; on the other hand, squirrels and chipmunks are frequently coaxed to feed from a person's hand, & if a bite is inflected, it doesn't mean necessarily abnormal behaviour or an unprovoked attack.

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT:

Don't pet any wild animal, no matter how tame it appear to be. If a person is bitten or scratched by, or comes in contact with the saliva of a suspected rabid animal, the affected parts should be thoroughly washed with soap & water for 15 minutes.

If iodine or any other antiseptic is available, put it in or around the wound. Get in touch with a doctor as soon as possible.