Campus Urged to Be On Alert For Feral Animals

Click image to enlarge Out of an abundance of caution, Georgia Tech is asking for our community to avoid the area behind the Molecular Science and Engineering building, the adjacent pathway, and the nearby track facility. Download Image

Georgia Tech is warning the campus community to avoid a sector of the campus where feral animals have taken up residence.

Last week, three students encountered a fox on the pathway behind the Molecular Science and Engineering (MOSE) Building near the Georgia Tech Track and Field facility. Two were injured during the encounter.

After the animal was captured and sent to state officials for testing, Georgia Tech learned the fox tested positive for rabies. The injured students have been receiving proper medical treatment.

Over the weekend, a fourth student had a similar encounter with a different fox in the same vicinity.

Georgia Tech is asking for our community to avoid the area behind the MOSE building, the pathway, and the track facility out of an abundance of caution.

This second fox has not yet been captured. Campus officials believe there may be several other foxes and each could carry rabies. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources will be dispatching a field officer to assist local animal control officials in the capture and removal of the foxes.

It is critically important to seek medical treatment after an encounter with a potentially rabid animal. Early symptoms of rabies in humans are non-specific and may include fever, headache, and fatigue. Left untreated the virus can cause difficulty swallowing, paralysis, and even death. These symptoms may never occur or may occur only at the very last stages of the disease.

The rabies virus is transmitted in the infected animal’s saliva. In rare cases, rabies is spread when infectious material from a rabid animal, such as saliva, comes into contact with mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound.

If you see a fox anywhere on campus, contact the Georgia Tech Police Department at 404-894-2500.