Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
A fisher than attacked at least three — possibly four — people in at Hudson Pointe Nature Preserve in Queensbury Wednesday was determined to be rabid, Warren County said.
In addition to the three initially reported attacks, “a fourth person notified Warren County Health Services on Thursday that they were attacked by a fisher-like animal at Hudson Pointe Nature Preserve on Wednesday, and that the animal left marks on their leg from either a bite or scratch before it fled,” the County said in a press release.
“And a man who was at the trailhead with two dogs late Wednesday afternoon indicated to bystanders that it bit his pant leg earlier that day but did not break his skin, and that man should contact Public Health to determine whether he was exposed to rabies.”
It’s the only positive rabies case document in Warren County in 2023, the County said.
Warren County Public Health said it “wants to ensure that all who had contact with the animal notify Public Health officials so that rabies treatments can be pursued if deemed necessary.”
“Those who take their pets to Hudson Pointe Nature Preserve should make sure their pet vaccinations are up to date, and contact their vet for a booster if their pet had recent contact with wild animals in that area. The pet could unwittingly expose its owner to rabies.”
Ginelle Jones, Warren County Director of Health Services was quoted, “Rabies is a deadly disease, and we need to err on the side of caution when it comes to potential human exposures to rabid animals. It appears this fisher was very aggressive in its last hours, and we are concerned that people or pets may have had contact with it and not realized the gravity of the situation. They should call us to make sure that medical intervention is pursued if needed.”
“Three of the people who were attacked by a fisher Wednesday morning were walking on trails in the park, and the fourth was a NY State Department of Environmental Conservation staff member who went to the preserve to try to locate the animal. He located it, and it attacked him before it was killed,” the County release said.
“A rabies test on the fisher’s remains were performed Thursday at the NY State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratory,” the County said.
Warren County Public Health can be reached at 518-761-6580.
