About 1/4 of the tiny number of rabies cases in people in the US come from exposure in other countries. Many of the other cases are in Puerto Rico, which though part of the US, is very different from the rest of the country.

Keith

I’ve run into one skunk in my years that showed signs of furious rabies a landowner told me where it was laying in a hay cut ditch. It appeared to be doing circles crawling around on its side while biting at the grass it’s the first time a skunk ever appeared rabid. Passive rabies would be harder to detect it looks more like it’s just sick.

Keep in mind sunlight and dehydration are effective in killing the virus freezing is not an effective way to kill the virus it prolongs it. I wear gloves of course but I semi dry my skulls before selling them to help kill any virus and it’s less of a mess if they thaw in shipping.

The virus lives in the brain stem so be careful handling and removing skulls or any fresh saliva it’s better to let the carcass sit a day or two if the weather permits that. Except for the stomach fluids not much will happen to a skunk in cooler temperatures if it has a layer of winter fat that even better. Belly down on cold concrete is your best friend then like other furbearers.

In Ohio, in the last 5 years, besides bats, only 7 raccoons and 1 cat have tested positive for rabies. The last human case of rabies in Ohio was in 1970.




You don't have much of a chance of catching rabies here. A great many things are more likely to hurt or kill you.

Keith