May 03--A baby fox rescued from a storm drain in Edgewood by a group of Harford County firefighters on Tuesday night has since been euthanized so it can be tested for rabies.
The gentle handling of the abandoned pup by volunteer firefighters during and after the rescue may have exposed the men to the deadly viral disease even though none of them were bitten or scratched, the Harford County Health Department determined.
The pup was picked up from the Phoenix Wildlife Center by health officials on Wednesday afternoon and euthanized, the health department confirmed Thursday. It had spent Tuesday night into Wednesday morning at the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Station, after firefighters could not locate animal control officers.
Firefighters had fed the animal, made a bed for it in a large plastic container, and held it in their laps and hands.
The health department said that while it "appreciates the well-intentioned and successful animal-rescue efforts" of the fire crew, rabies exposure "remains a critical consideration" whenever humans have contact with foxes, raccoons, skunks or bats.
"The greater concern in incidents such as this is less about the animal than for public health and safety," the department said in a statement.
The department also said that when they picked up the animal, a wildlife rehabilitator at Phoenix had told them the pup was also suffering from hydrocephaly, or "water on the brain," which may have been the reason the animal was abandoned by its mother.
The pup's body will be tested by the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. If rabies is identified, the health department will conduct a risk assessment for all of the firefighters that came into contact with the animal.
The health department said it works closely with the volunteer fire station on rabies vaccinations and said it wished to "acknowledge their great dedication to the well-being of the community."
A fire station spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
twitter.com/rectorsun
Copyright 2013 - The Baltimore Sun
