{"id":854075,"date":"2026-09-20T06:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T06:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/854075\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T06:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T06:46:10","slug":"texas-police-urge-families-to-avoid-wildlife-after-rabid-raccoon-turns-up-near-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/854075\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas police urge families to avoid wildlife after rabid raccoon turns up near homes"},"content":{"rendered":"

A confirmed rabies case involving a raccoon located near homes in Hollywood Park, Texas, prompted police to caution residents to protect children and pets and avoid contact with wild or stray animals, according to KSAT<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here’s what to know<\/p>\n

Authorities said the animal was found near Casa Del Vista in the area of the 300 block of Yosemite Drive and later tested positive for rabies.<\/p>\n

Investigators suspected the raccoon may have had contact with a rabid skunk.<\/p>\n

“No human exposure has been reported, but please take immediate precautions to keep your family and pets safe,” police warned in a news release, per KSAT.<\/p>\n

More background<\/p>\n

Because rabies can spread through bites or saliva exposure, even a brief or passing interaction with a wild animal that appears sick or acts strangely can pose a serious threat to people and pets.<\/p>\n

For that reason, the department urged residents not to approach wildlife.<\/p>\n

Parents were also advised to make sure children understand they should stay away from wild animals, particularly ones that seem ill.<\/p>\n

Rabies is an extremely serious illness that requires immediate treatment following contact with a potentially infected animal.<\/p>\n

“Rabies is fatal once symptoms start,” the Cleveland Clinic<\/a> notes.<\/p>\n

What can be done?<\/p>\n

Residents were told not to handle wild or stray animals and to keep their distance.<\/p>\n

That advice is especially important if an animal appears disoriented, aggressive, unusually calm, or otherwise unwell.<\/p>\n

Authorities also urged pet owners to confirm their animals were up to date on rabies vaccinations.<\/p>\n

Anyone who suspected exposure or noticed unusual animal behavior was encouraged to report it right away.<\/p>\n

Residents can report concerns by calling Bexar County dispatch at 210-335-6000, by contacting Hollywood Park Animal Control, or reaching out to local law enforcement.<\/p>\n

“[We] highly recommend you educate your children to not provoke or go near wildlife. Especially if they appear sick,” police said, according to KSAT.<\/p>\n

Get TCD’s free newsletters<\/a> for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A confirmed rabies case involving a raccoon located near homes in Hollywood Park, Texas, prompted police to caution…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":854076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[79,303776,45717,201],"class_list":["post-854075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-stray-animals","tag-wild-animal","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}