TEMPERANCEVILLE, Va. - An Accomack County couple is being treated for exposure to rabies after health officials say they had an encounter with an infected river otter.
According to Eastern Shore Health District Director Jon Richardson, the victims picked up the sick otter in the area of Saxis Road in Temperanceville on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Mike Isdale, of Temperanceville, tells WBOC his wife found the otter in the middle of the road and stopped to assist it. The otter, according to Isdale, seemed injured but very docile and friendly. Isdale says his wife "wanted to help" and brought the animal home and contacted officials to arrange a drop off the next day. Isdale says they planned to keep the otter in a bathtub overnight until they could bring it to rescuers.
As the evening progressed, however, Isdale says the otter began to show increasing signs of aggression, its prior composure and friendliness switching to hissing and irritability.
When Isdale entered the bathroom to try to feed the otter later in the evening, he says it bit him on the hand and drew a "good amount of blood." Isdale says the otter also scratched his wife at one point.
Director Richardson says the otter was later euthanized and tested positive for rabies, a viral disease that is 100% fatal if left untreated. Both victims have received medical treatment, according to Richardson, and Isdale says he still has two shots left to receive.
Isdale tells WBOC he wants to underscore how friendly the otter initially appeared to be and warn others to be on the lookout for similar behavior. "It was acting like a puppy," he said.
The Chesapeake Bay Program says river otters are found along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, but Richardson says there is only a small population in Accomack County. Like all other mammals, the species is susceptible to rabies infections. This is the first rabid otter reported in Accomack in "many years," according to Richardson.
Richardson emphasized the importance of avoiding interactions with unfamiliar animals to avoid exposure to rabies. Anyone who may have had contact with the otter or any other sick animal is asked to contact the Accomack County Health Department at 757-787-5886.