Two people were bitten by a castor while bathing near Turtle Island, a small island in the western part of Lake George, in the Adirondacks. The attack took place on 4 July, in the waters in front of a pier located between two campsites. One of the two men told that he dived after seeing the animal attached to the friend’s leg: in an attempt to detach him he was bitten at a finger, a wrist and the abdomen. Both were taken to the hospital and began prophylaxis against anger.
Five days later, the Department of Environmental Conservation of the State of New York, the DEC, recovered nearby the body of another castor. The analysis confirmed that he had anger, but it was not possible to establish whether it was the same animal that had bitten the two bathers. The DEC also considers it possible that the infected castor transmitted the virus to other specimens of the colony present on the island.
This is why wets were asked not to enter the water around campsites from 1 to 5 of Turtle Island at least until 14 July. The notice therefore concerns a restricted area of the lake: the authorities have not advised to go to Lake George, nor have they reported a generalized danger throughout the summer. To those who reach the island by boat or spend the night was asked not to approach the castors, alive or dead, while the colony is kept under observation.
Castors normally avoid people, even if they can defend dens and dams, especially when there are small ones. In the case of Turtle Island it has suspected the way the animal chased and attacked the bathers away from the den. A sudden change of behavior is one of the signs of anger: a wild animal can become unusually aggressive or, on the contrary, lose the fear of people and seem docile. There may also be difficulties in walking, paralysis, foam to the mouth and unusual verses, but the infection can only be confirmed with a laboratory test.
The useful rule during an excursion or camping is therefore less drastic than suggesting some titles circulated these days: it is not necessary to stay away from all the fauna of the Upstate, but it is not necessary to touch, feed or try to move a wild animal, especially if it behaves strangely. Reports in the Turtle Island area can be made at the DEC operating station at number 518-897-1326; in emergencies it is called 911.
In case of bite or scratch, the wound must be washed immediately with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and quickly evaluated by a doctor or local health authorities. Anger is almost always deadly after the appearance of symptoms, but it can be prevented with the treatment after exposure, which includes the vaccine and, for those who were not already vaccinated, anti-rabbic immunoglobulins. Waiting to feel bad is therefore the thing not to do.
L’articolo A Lake George two people were bitten by a castor, and soon after one was found with anger comes from IlNewyorkese.
