Southbury animal control is urging livestock and pet owners to vaccinate their animals, as an additional three skunks have tested positive for rabies this past week.
A skunk climbs the stairs to a porch in Danbury to feast on cat food left for neighborhood cats
On Sunday, a skunk bit the heels of five horses near Bates Rock Road. The skunk was chasing the horses up and down the property, said Marilyn Muratori-Jarvis, Southbury animal control agent.
The skunk was not tested for rabies, because it was very obvious that it was suffering from rabies, Jarvis said. The skunk was then capture and put down.
“Anyone with livestock needs to get their animal their shots,” Jarvis said. “You can’t keep an eye on them all the time.”
Luckily the horses had all been vaccinated against rabies, but they are under watch for the next 45 days.
In total, five skunks have been put down in the past two months, for either testing positive for rabies or being suspect to having the disease. One skunk was caught off of Southford Road and the other on Flag Swamp Road.
The skunks that Southbury animal control has been dealing with are all young and were born in the spring, Jarvis said.