Janet Jacobs
Corsicana Daily Sun
CORSICANA —
Two rabid skunks have been killed in the city limits of Corsicana in the last five months, and one of those was put down just this past Saturday.
Neighbors within a two or three block radius started calling police Saturday because of a skunk seen wandering in the area. One caller said it had chased people.
Finally, police located in a back yard and shot it. The corpse was sent to the Texas Department of Health, and results came back positive for rabies Tuesday, according to Katy Watkins, animal services manager for the city.
“There was another sighting last week, up near Oakridge and Northpark, in between there. Supposedly, it got tangled up with a dog. That dog’s in quarantine, just in case.
“Everybody needs to be current on their animals’ rabies shots,” she advised. Skunk sightings should be reported to the police department’s emergency number.
“Call us (at the shelter) or the police department and try to keep up with it at a distance — safely,” Watkins said. “When they’re out in the daytime it just increases the chance that they’re possibly rabid.”
Five months ago, another rabid skunk was on Woodcrest in Corsicana. In a similar scenario, officers dispatched the skunk with a shot and sent it off for testing. It was confirmed by the department of health, Watkins said. Around the same time, a family of bats were sent off for testing, but those came back negative.
“Bats and skunks are the two highest risks possible when it comes to having rabies,” Watkins explained.
Kaufman County has also had two confirmed rabid skunk cases recently, Watkins said.
