Rabies-Infected Moose Found 'Drooling Profusely' in Alaska

A moose has tested positive for rabies in Alaska after it was found "acting aggressively towards people" and "unbalanced, stumbling, drooling profusely."

The moose was first reported to Alaska's Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) on June 2 in the town of Teller on the west coast of the state.

It marks the first ever reported case of a rabid moose in Alaska—and the entirety of North America.

"The moose was unbalanced, stumbling, drooling profusely, and had bare patches of skin," according to the ADFG statement.

The moose was euthanized on June 2 due to its symptoms and behavior, which led wildlife veterinarian Kimberlee Beckmen to fear the animal was infected with rabies, the statement said.

"That moose was being aggressive towards people and charging and getting a little bit too close to comfort for them," Alaskan wildlife biologist Sara Germain told local news outlet KTUU. "So because those are all signs of rabies, we decided to dispatch the animal and take the head and some other samples to try and see what was wrong with it."

On June 5, the Alaska State Virology Laboratory confirmed that the animal had been infected with the rabies virus. On June 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the virus was the Arctic Fox rabies variant that has been circulating in the same area in recent months.

The moose carcass was burned after samples were taken to avoid it being eaten by scavengers. While this was the first moose to be diagnosed with rabies in North America, the species has previously tested positive in some European countries.

The ADFG said in the statement that they plan to test samples from all wild mammals found dead in the state. Members of the public are encouraged to contact the department if they find a mammal dead or alive with any signs of rabies.

It is likely that this moose caught the virus from a fox, as large numbers of local foxes have tested positive last winter.

"This past winter, red foxes from Nome and the surrounding area, including Teller, there were 66 tested in total, and 28.8 percent were positive," Beckmen told WTUU.

The ADFG statement said that "due to the largely solitary nature of moose, it is very unlikely that any rabies outbreak will occur in the moose population, but isolated cases such as this one occur rarely."

It also says anyone who fears that they have been bitten by an animal with rabies should immediately wash the wound with soap and water and seek medical attention. Moose hunters should take care when butchering moose and other mammals, using gloves and washing hands well, but the meat should be safe to eat so long as it is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Rabies is a viral disease, usually transmitted via the bites of an infected animal, but also occasionally transmitted via contact of broken skin or mucous membranes with infected saliva or brain tissue. The virus infects the central nervous system of mammals only, and if left untreated to the point of symptoms arising, has a death rate of nearly 100 percent. Only a few people have ever been reported to have survived rabies without treatment, the CDC stated.

While dogs are often thought of as rabies carriers, 90 percent of rabies reports in animals occur in wildlife, and around seven out of 10 Americans who have died from rabies in the U.S. were infected by bats.

Rabies can take weeks or even months to become apparent, symptoms may include feeling flu-like, which then progress to anxiety, confusion, and agitation. Later problems may be hallucinations, hydrophobia (fear of water), and insomnia towards the end.

In animals, these may present as unusual behavior like overt aggression or uncharacteristic tameness, and biting at the air, as well as problems swallowing and excessive drool or saliva.

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