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The original was posted on /r/arizonatrail by /u/SouthWestSpicy on 2024-03-16 05:47:02.

Howdy hikers!

Pima County is having a small rabies outbreak, specifically near Saguaro National Park East. Of course, the chances of hikers seeing rabid animals is extremely low. But we should all be alert anyway. Rabies is fatal without proper treatment.

The most recent cases both involved coyotes attacking horses close to the park. The lab released the test results for one of them just this week.

Not long ago a man was scratched and bitten by a bobcat in the park. The animal wasn’t tested but the behavior was highly suggestive it was rabid. That’s not a surprise though. Last year a rabid bobcat was collected from the Vail/Rincon Valley area.

Most years we seem to get a rabid skunk or two. A couple of years ago a thru hiker was bitten by a rabid skunk in his tent on the AZT. While that case wasn’t in Pima County, skunks are common visitors to camps and campgrounds in the Catalinas. I’ve seen handful in the daytime but only 2 or 3 at night. They walk like drunken sailors naturally and you can’t tell if they’re sick by looking at them.

You should not see a fox. If you do and it isn’t running like hell away from you, be concerned. I’m pretty sure both of the recent positive coyotes were infected with the gray fox variant.

Lastly never handle bats. Bat bites are often so small they can barely be seen with the naked eye and could seem insignificant. However, a majority of recent USA human cases were the result of exposure to bats. Last year Pima County had 25 confirmed rabid bats. Report any contact with bats to the local epidemiology department for help determining if you need to seek post exposure treatment.