Over the years we have learned the drill about human-animal interactions and what to avoid if we see strange animal behaviors. Diseases like rabies and distemper are common fears with wildlife as they come in contact with humans.

When you observe animals enough you soon learn what is an expected behavior and what is an unusual behavior.

In the case of small mammals you would expect them to scurry off if they are caught in the open yard or near your home or out buildings. Most would prowl about in the dawn and dusk hours of the day but never during bright sunlight hours. When we see them not scurrying away or wandering out in the open or curled up on the sidewalk or porch are warning signs better be going up.

Lack of fear for small mammals is not a normal behavior.

An animal exposed to the virus are more likely to be seen wandering about in the daylight hours.

A few years back I was actually outside doing some yard work and a great commotion broke out near my tool shed. One of our cats was in the back yard with a raccoon in hot pursuit.

As the cat ran passed me the raccoon kept coming as well, I was armed with a steel rake and assumed a defensive position.

The sight of a human generally sends most small mammals in the wild running for cover.

Not this time, a snarling irritable raccoon told me that I was dealing with a different situation.

I looked over in the driveway and the cats were all perched on the cab of my truck roof watching the show.

Fortunately for me the raccoon did lay down in the grass, however he kept making the snarling noises until the disease claimed another victim as he was forced to be dispatched.

In our area there are many mammals that can carry either the distemper or rabies virus. Primary carriers include the raccoon, bat, skunk, fox and opossum.

However domestic/feral animals such as cats and dogs can be carriers as well so be suspicious of these animals as they come in contact with you when your senses tell you something is wrong in this picture.

There have been cases were cows and horses were rabid as they had come in contact with a rabid animal out in the pasture areas.

Just about any animal can contact the Rabies Virus.

Rabies has different strains or variations. The rabies virus targets the central nervous system, working its way up to the brain. The virus thrives in saliva which makes mammals very susceptible to a bite or scratch from an infected animal. The disease if untreated is fatal.

Any animal bite should always be treated right away by washing the wound with soap and a virus killing cleanser. The next recommended step is to have a onetime injection of human rabies immune globulin (HRIG), which is a substance that provides rapid, short term protection against rabies.

Unfortunately, if the animal does appear to be infected with rabies you will be started with a series of shots that are not reported to be a pleasant experience.

Domestic animals such as cats, dogs and even ferrets are usually quarantined to observe them for signs of rabies as they have a pretty well defined incubation period for the rabies virus.

With wild animals the chance of capturing the biter can be difficult but necessary.

Only lab tests done with brain tissue can show a positive for the rabies virus.

The general rule is that health officials assume you are infected and the series of shots will take place because the biting animal is not available for testing.

Now you know why you don’t ignore the annual rabies or distemper notices are sent from your favorite vet or animal care providers.

It’s in the best interest of your pets as well as the humans they come in contact with to stay healthy. Remember the classic Stephen King scary dog movie Cujo, he got rabies from a bat bite and didn’t have his shots up to date…yikes!

In other news the annual doe licenses are being awarded as we read this article.

A quick check with the PGC showed that licenses still remained in both WMU 2D and WMU 1A.

The second round of license applications started on Monday morning and will continue until they are gone.

Hunter Safety Classes are in full swing at local sportsmen’s clubs and online with the PGC.

All first time adult hunters 12 and older are required to complete the hunter/trapper safety course.

Archers should be practicing at hitting the bull’s-eye as the Archery Season will open up in only two months on Oct. 3rd!

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.