A potentially rabid raccoon with a taste for human flesh is on the loose in the Donaldson Run neighborhood.
The raccoon bit a person last week on the 4200 block of 25th Street N., two blocks from Taylor Elementary School, according to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. It ran off and “has not been located.”
Two other raccoons with rabies-like symptoms have been removed from the neighborhood by animal control officers over the past month, AWLA said.
Arlington residents, particularly those in the Donaldson Run area, are being encouraged to remain vigilant.
“If you or your pet may have come into contact with any wild animals including bats or raccoons, please call Arlington County Animal Control at 703-931-9241 immediately, after hours please stay on the line to speak with the answering service who will alert an officer,” the organization said last night in a statement.
“If you see a raccoon that appears sick, lethargic, disoriented, or aggressive, do NOT approach the animal and please call Animal Control immediately: 703-931-9241.”
Important notice for Arlington residents: pic.twitter.com/VDODJJZza9
— AWLArlington, VA (@AWLAArlington) December 29, 2020
Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman
