PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Thirteen people, eleven from Rhode Island and two children from Connecticut are being treated for rabies exposure after a family found a baby raccoon in Coventry and took it into their home.
The Department of Environmental Management found rabies in the baby raccoon which was submitted for testing on June 4, according to an news release from the DEM.
The raccoon was found May 29 on John Franklin Road, which is in a rural area of Coventry near the Scituate line. The family that found the animal brought it home, where it had contact with several adults and one minor child.
Finding rabies in wildlife is common and one of the reasons DEM prohibits people from possessing native wildlife and limits those who are authorized to rehabilitate sick or injured wildlife to those properly trained and immunized against rabies.
Anyone who may have had potential contact with a raccoon in that area should contact the RI Department of Health's Division of Infectious Diseases at (401) 222-2577 for evaluation.
Wild animals that act aggressively or are noticeably sick should be reported to the DEM Division of Law Enforcement at (401) 222-3070 or to your local animal control officer.