Igloolik on alert after fox tests positive for rabies

Residents of Igloolik are on alert for a potential rabies outbreak after a fox caught in the Baffin community tested positive for the virus last month. (PHOTO BY ANSGAR WALK)

Residents of Igloolik are on alert for a potential rabies outbreak after a fox caught in the Baffin community tested positive for the virus last month.

Now the hamlet has advised residents to report any sightings of foxes or loose dogs in and around the community.

“There are an abundance of foxes this year,” said Brian Fleming, the hamlet’s senior administrative officer. “And some of them are coming close the community this year.”

That’s when the hamlet issued an advisory to residents to watch out for foxes and loose dogs, especially animals showing strange or aggressive behaviour.

Rabies is a deadly viral disease found mostly in wolves and foxes in Nunavut and most often transmitted by a bite from an infected animal.

Animals with rabies can appear nervous, agitated or aggressive and may be foaming at the mouth.

The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, causing disease in the brain and eventually, death. The virus is deadly in infected humans if they are not treated soon after the disease is transmitted.

In Igloolik, residents alerted the local conservation officer after a fox was spotted wandering near the community in mid-December, Fleming said. The officer caught the animal and disposed of it after the fox tested positive for rabies.

A local water truck driver was bitten by a fox last month in a separate incident, although neither the animal nor the driver was found to be infected, he said.

“Now we’re stepping up efforts to eliminate any loose dogs, since they can easily make contact with foxes,” Fleming said.

Fleming said local authorities are also trying to trap any foxes found near the community.

“We’ve put up an advisory that there’ve been sightings of rabid foxes and we’re warning people if they see any foxes or dogs acting abnormally to advise the hamlet or the department of the environment,” he said. “If people find a dead dog or a fox, leave it and notify us right away.”

Fleming said that some residents have been leaving the house armed with hockey sticks, in case they encounter foxes.

“I’m sure everyone thinks that Igloolik residents are the biggest hockey fans in the country,” he joked.

But Fleming said the number of fox sightings is already down since December. He said an unusually high number of lemmings seen in the region last summer may have boosted the foxes’ food supply and could explain the large numbers of foxes seen this winter.