A skunk later found to have rabies got into an altercation with two dogs in a Cherry Hill backyard on Feb. 20.
Taken to Medford Wildlife Refuge Center, the animal was euthanized and transferred to the New Jersey Public Health and Environmental Laboratories in Trenton, which informed the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services that the animal had tested positive for rabies.
The township residents whose backyard the skunk was found in were also notified of possible rabies. Colleen Tanzola, a communicable diseases investigator with the county, said the animal was sick enough for the residents to transport it to the refuge themselves without incident.
Both of the residents’ dogs got rabies vaccines and boosters, were evaluated by their vet and will be observed for four months. The residents were prescribed a medication called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP); Tanzola said the county will follow up to make sure they follow through on that.
According to the World Health Organization, once rabies reaches the central nervous system in humans, it is almost 100% fatal.
Rabies is more common in the summer months, as potentially wild animals move around more, Tanzola pointed out.
“In the winter months, it’s a lot less common,” she explained. “Now in the summer, things change; with the weather warming up, the wild animals tend to be out more. When I say out, it could be around the neighborhood especially. We tell residents to be really careful if they live in wooded areas.”
Skunks, bats, foxes, raccoons and groundhogs are the most common animals in New Jersey to carry rabies. Tanzola did not reveal the exact number of cases in the state for fear of scaring people unnecessarily. She did confirm that the county’s last case was sometime in the fall of 2025.
“We definitely encourage the public to stay alert and informed,” Tanzola noted, “knowing the signs and symptoms of rabies. And also preventing rabies by getting their pets vaccinated.”
The county offered free rabies vaccines for residents in Pine Hill and Stratford on March 7. The shots are good for three years.
County Commissioner Jennifer Cooley Fleisher, liaison to the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services, addressed the issue in a press release.
“Rabies is a serious illness, but it can be prevented by early treatment after exposure,” she advised. “If you’ve been bitten or scratched by a wild animal, it’s important that you seek immediate medical attention.”
Fleisher advised residents to keep their pets’ vaccines up to date, supervise animals outdoors and visit a vet if they are scratched or bitten by a wild animal.
