Larimer Co. Warns About Rabid Animals After More Skunks Test Positive

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4/AP) - Health officials in Larimer County are trying to keep the public informed about rabid animals. Five rabid skunks have been found close to neighborhoods in Fort Collins in the past two weeks.

Health officials have posted an interactive map on the Larimer County Health Department website showing where rabid skunks and bats have been found.

Because of the close proximity to neighborhoods, officials are telling people to keep an eye on their pets and their livestock.

In the two most recent cases, a rabid skunk was chased from a poultry enclosure at a private home and found dead the next morning and another was seen walking in circles.

"It's a bigger threat to livestock, to pets even to humans who might come across them while hiking. We just want people to be really aware that this is happening here and happening rather rapidly," said Larimer County Dept. of Health spokeswoman Jane Viste.

Officials say numerous cases of rabies will likely be found in other skunks and other animals from a variant of the virus that arrived in Colorado in 2007.

LINK: larimer.org/maps/rabies.cfm

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)