Rabid wolf bites man near Kalskag

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 A man was attacked by a rabid wolf on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 down river from the village of Kalskag.
The man has been treated for exposure to rabies.
The attack occurred at a fish camp where the man and his family were staying. A relative shot and killed the wolf and the head was sent to the state virology lab for testing. State epidemiologists confirmed the wolf had rabies.
Department of Fish and Game wildlife veterinarian Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen said estimates place the male wolf at 16 months old. It appeared to be pretty thin and had porcupine quills in its mouth. “We know rabies causes infected animals to bite indiscriminately, so we’re not sure if the wolf bit a porcupine due to the disease, or if it was after food,” Dr. Beckmen said.
Rabies is not a new arrival to the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta.
“We confirm rabies in red foxes from this part of Alaska every year,” said Louisa Castrodale, veterinary epidemiologist for the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Most animals tested for rabies at the State Virology Laboratory have exposed a human or pet. Because wildlife populations are not routinely screened as a whole for rabies or other diseases, the true prevalence of rabies is not known.
Only 19 cases of rabies in wolves have been confirmed through testing since 1971, but because wolf attacks on people are so rare, only about 50 wolves have been tested. On the other hand, thousands of red fox carcasses have been tested, and rabies has been confirmed in more than 100 foxes in the same time frame.
Rabies is caused by a virus that reproduces in salivary glands and is spread by contact with saliva. Although most people associate rabies with foaming at the mouth, most rabid wolves and foxes do not produce mouth foam. It is more common to see behavior differences. Infected animals tend to lose fear of humans and appear dull and indifferent to surroundings.
NEWS
Dr. Beckmen said presence of the disease in wildlife is why it is critically important for residents to have their dogs vaccinated against rabies. The most frequent way people get exposed to rabies is through dogs that have contact with a rabid fox.
It is legal to kill an animal in defense of life or property, but the animal must be turned over to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. If the animal was behaving strangely, people should protect themselves from the saliva when handling it.
More information about rabies can be found on the state webpage:
http://www.epi.alaska.gov/id/rabies/default.htm

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