Students Warned to Stay Clear of Sick Animals

The discovery of a sick rat by students at Cavendish Road State High School late last term has prompted health authorities to warn students of the dangers of coming into contact with ill or dying animals.

With the spectre of animal bourne diseases such as the Lyssa virus still looming large in the public mind, Cavroadia Health and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have issued a joint Health Alert Bulletin which recommends that ailing wildlife are best left alone.

In late June, well meaning students rescued a common black rat which was being attacked by crows, noisy miners and butcherbirds. The rat was placed in a box and presented to the science department for care where it soon died. Examination of the rat before it died showed it had difficulty standing and that it was bleeding from the eyes. The rat was sent to local veterinarian Ken Barker who examined it to determine its cause of death.

Barker found that the rat had died of massive internal haemorrhaging, a finding consistent with the rat having consumed certain brands of rat poison. However, Barker warned that the same outward signs could indicate the presence of an infectious haemorrhagic fever. In the United States, fears of an outbreak of the deadly Hanta virus have been raised after the discovery of the infectious agent in native rodents.

In recent years, public attention has been drawn to the threat of animal bourne diseases. In 1994, horse trainer Vic Rail and fifteen of his horses succumbed to a rabies-like virus which was later named the Hendra virus after the location of the stables where it was first identified. The same virus was also responsible for the death of Mark Preston of Mackay later that year. In addition to Hendra virus, Lyssa virus, present in native fruitbats has claimed the lives of two wildlife carers in 1996 and 1998. From November 2002 until July 2003, 774 people died and international travel was brought to a standstill after the outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in China, thought to have been contracted from civet cats. Health authorities around the world are now on alert for information about new outbreaks of the Avian Influenza H5N1 strain which has killed dozens of people in Southeast Asia and claimed two lives in Turkey

While health authorities stress that there is no reason to panic, the Health Alert advises simple caution and common sense when dealing with sick or injured animals. National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson Kay Ngaru said “Any wild animal is naturally going to be afraid of humans and they will lash out if you approach them.

“If they are sick or injured, they are not only more likely to be frightened, they will be less likely to follow their first instinct, which is to run away. This leaves them with attack being their only defence,” she said.

The Health Alert recommends that if a sick or injured animal is found, no attempt should be made to rescue it. Instead, National Parks and Wildlife should be notified so that trained personnel can deal with the animal.