Although some wild animals may seem cute and friendly, Grey Bruce Public Health is reminding residents and visitors that the safest way to enjoy wildlife is from a distance.

“Touching, feeding, petting, picking up, or caring for a wild animal can pose health risks,” says GBPH Program Manager Gillian Jordan.

“Interactions with wild animals can result in painful injuries, which may require emergency medical treatment, and the transmission of diseases, including rabies.”

In Ontario, raccoons, foxes, skunks and bats are the most common carriers of rabies. 

Rabies is a rare, but serious virus in Canada. Rabies can spread to people through direct contact with the saliva of an infected animal. This can happen when an infected animal bites or scratches someone or when the animal’s saliva comes into contact with a person’s eyes, nose, mouth, or an open wound.

People can reduce their risk of contracting rabies by:

• Not interacting with wildlife or trapping or relocating wild animals;
• Leaving baby animals undisturbed;
• Teaching children to stay away from wild or stray animals; 
• Keeping pets away from wild animals and not allowing them to roam unsupervised; and
• Wildlife-proofing their home and yard.

“While human rabies cases in Ontario are rare, Public Health must assess every bite or scratch from a wild animal that breaks the skin to determine whether rabies treatment is needed,” says Jordan. “This includes dog-bite incidents.”

As more people spend time outdoors during the summer months, GBPH typically sees an increase in negative human-animal interactions and dog-bite incidents.

The most important thing to do following a dog-bite incident is to exchange contact information. 

“This allows Public Health to quickly follow up with those involved and confirm the dog's rabies vaccination status. If the dog's health status cannot be verified, the exposed person may require post-exposure rabies treatment, which involves a series of vaccinations over two weeks,” Jordan adds. 

To prevent dog bites, GBPH advises the following:

• Always ask a dog’s owner if it is OK to approach their pet, even if it’s on a leash.
• Do not approach an unfamiliar dog.
• Do not touch a dog that’s eating, sleeping, or chewing a toy.
• Be mindful that sick or injured pets may bite out of fear or confusion.
• Steer clear of dogs that are loose or unattended or growling or barking.
• Stay quiet and still if an unknown dog approaches you.
• Recognize dog body language that could indicate a dog may become aggressive.