Lincoln Animal Control reports city’s first case of rabid fox

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lincoln Animal Control reported Thursday that a fox has tested positive for rabies.

This is the first confirmed case of rabies in a fox in Lincoln.

The fox got into a fight with a dog in south Lincoln and was injured.

Animal Control picked up the injured fox and discovered that it was also showing signs of rabies, which testing confirmed.

“There are many foxes and other types of wildlife in our area, which make interactions with them more common,” Animal Control Manager Denise Bollwitt said in a press release. “This situation serves as a reminder to ensure pets are vaccinated against rabies. Rabies vaccine is the best protection for pets that encounter wildlife that may have the disease.”

Since 2020, there have been 29 confirmed cases of rabies in Lancaster County. Twenty-eight of those cases have been found in bats, with the most recent case being the fox.

Most people can live in close proximity to foxes without worries, officials said.

Channel 8 spoke to one Lincoln resident at Holmes Lake, who said to these animals, we are the wildlife.

“We got to remember that we’re visitors here,” Noella Redhawk said. “They were here first.”

She has experience with foxes, having previously owned a gray fox. She said they are more afraid of us than we are of them.

“Every fox that we have seen in our neighborhood, and I do not live too far from this location, they always take off,” Redhawk said. “The second we shut a car door or shut a house door or turn on a light, they always take off.”

Her pets are vaccinated for rabies, so she is not too concerned.

“It is essential to get your dogs vaccinated because you never know when an insect bite from a flea tick to a mosquito is going to carry a virus to your dog,” Redhawk said. “If you have them properly vaccinated, then you don’t have to worry about these diseases that other animals carry.”

Animal Control offers these tips if you have foxes in your area:

• Do not feed foxes. This invites them into your space.
• Keep sources of food away from any wildlife, such as pet food, bird and squirrel feeders, and easy-to-access water.
• Keep pets indoors at night, especially smaller dogs and cats.
• Foxes will follow you to try to push you away from their young. If this happens, stay calm. Try blowing a whistle, sounding off an air horn or raising your hands and yelling.

For any questions about rabies in wild animals or removing sick or injured animals from your neighborhood, call Animal Control at 402-441-7900.