Pet raccoon keeps biting people — but owner refuses rabies testing, SC officials say

The owner of a pet raccoon has refused to turn it over to environmental authorities for rabies testing even though it has bitten several people, according to South Carolina wildlife officials.

The state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control has issued a notice and public health order requiring the owner to surrender the animal, but the owner, who lives in Spartanburg, has not complied, according to a news release from the agency dated Wednesday, June 8.

The raccoon has been kept in the owner’s home, but it had access to the outside via a doggie door for an unknown period of time, the agency says. The owner also told officials that the raccoon had bitten people “numerous times before.”

Officials do not know the location of the animal as of June 8.

“If you or someone you know was bitten by this or any raccoon, please seek medical attention immediately at your local hospital and contact (the Department of Health and Environmental Control),” the release says. “The provider needs to know you have been bitten by a raccoon that has not been tested for rabies.”

Owning exotic pets such as a raccoon is legal in South Carolina, according to the department, but if the animal is exposed to rabies, officials will euthanize it and test its brain for the virus.

Rabies infects the central nervous system of mammals, causing brain disease and ultimately death, the agency says.

More than 90% of reported rabies cases in the U.S. occur in wild animals, particularly raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pets, including cats and dogs, can also get the virus if they are not up to date on rabies vaccinations.

Raccoons are the primary carriers of rabies in South Carolina, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control. While rabies vaccinations are effective for domesticated animals, there is no evidence to show that they work to prevent rabies in wild animals, such as raccoons.

A person bitten by a rabid animal can receive a series of shots, called Rabies Postexposure Prophylaxis, which can stop rabies from developing.

Spartanburg is about 95 miles northwest of Columbia.

This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Pet raccoon keeps biting people — but owner refuses rabies testing, SC officials say."