On August 17, 2015 Barre City school officials contacted the Barre City police department about a skunk that was acting unusual in the area of the Barre City Middle and Elementary School. The property is 50 Parkside Terrace in Barre, Vermont.

A police officer arrived at the school and the decision was made to dispatch the animal. After dispatching the animal, school officials had the animal sent to the Vermont State Laboratory for testing. Today August 21, 2015 it was confirmed by the Vermont State Veterinarian that the animal was rabid.

While it isn’t an uncommon to find rabid animals in Vermont, Barre City Officials want to take this opportunity to remind community members about what rabies are and how to best protect your family:

· Rabies, sometimes known as hydrophobia, is a deadly disease of the brain.

· Any animal with hair or fur (including humans) can get rabies. However, rabies is most often seen among wild animals such as raccoons, skunks and foxes. Bats are increasingly implicated in human rabies cases. Cats, dogs and livestock can also get rabies if they have not been vaccinated for rabies.

· You cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. Rabid animals show a change in their normal behavior. They may show unusual aggression, extreme depression or bizarre behavior.

· Hundreds of cases of animal rabies have been reported throughout Vermont since 1992, and the outbreak will continue to be a problem for many years.

· The virus can be contracted through the bite of an infected animal.