Lake Tahoe Chipmunk Plague Case: Nuisance Wildlife Precautions

Last week, a chipmunk in the South Lake Tahoe area was diagnosed with the plague after it was seen curled up in a ball shaking and struggling to breathe by a U.S. Forest Service employee near the Taylor Creek Visitor Center. According to Forest Service spokeswoman Cheva Heck, the animal “tested presumptive positive for the bacteria that causes plague, Yersinia pestis” (Tahoe Daily Tribune).

Catseye Pest Control has stressed the importance of dealing with nuisance wildlife properly before and does again with news of this recent chipmunk plague case. Whether the plague or other illnesses, mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and other nuisance wildlife carry a number of diseases and bacteria that pose a danger to both humans and pets when exposed. Pet owners must be mindful not only of their own exposure to nuisance wildlife on their property but as well of where their animals go when they are let outside to roam.

One of the most dangerous situations a homeowner could face with regard to rodent disease is the attempt to trap a sick animal or remove a dead animal from his or her property. Bites and scratches or exposure to the saliva and droppings from a disoriented, infected animal can cause symptoms such as headache, fever and muscle aches, and the most serious cases can result in death.

Precaution when handling nuisance wildlife is important no matter where your location. New Englanders can find their local Catseye Pest Control representative.