City says raccoon found in Bensonhurst had rabies
Health Dept. warns: ‘Keep your dog on a leash, keep your cat indoors’
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issued a warning to Bensonhurst residents to stay away from stray animals and to safeguard their pets after a raccoon found in the neighborhood turned out to have rabies.
The raccoon was discovered on the block of 16th Avenue between 78th and 79th streets on Aug. 15 and tested positive for rabies at the Health Dept.’s public laboratory on Aug. 19, officials told the Brooklyn Eagle. The block is a heavily residential area filled mostly with one and two-family homes. New Utrecht High School is located on the next block, on 16th Avenue between 79th and 80th streets.
The raccoon died, but might have infected feral cats or kittens before its demise, Health Dept. officials said. No humans were bitten. The New York Daily News reported on Thursday that the raccoon was found by Animal Care and Control. It marks the third time this year a raccoon has been found in Brooklyn, according to the News.