Article: Animals who have the rabies virus may engage in behaviors that are not typical for that animal. For example, a wild animal may lose its fear of humans and come towards them. Similarly, a nocturnal animal may come out during the day. If you see an animal doing something atypical, get away from it and move to safety. Call animal control and tell them about the animal, including where it is and what it's doing. Don't approach the animal. The most common sign of rabies infection is overly aggressive behavior. Aggressive behavior, and physical contact that often results, serves as a major reason for the spread of rabies to people or other animals. Normally tame animals might growl, bark, or snap at people. Wild animals may run or try to attack people. Infected animals may show signs of destructive behavior, such as hurting themselves, property, or the environment around them. Infected animals tend to demonstrate some sort of anxious behavior soon after clinical signs of infection appear. Thus, any animal exhibiting strange behavior should be handled with caution. Anxiety may manifest through nervous ticks or irregular movement. A rabies-infected animal may demonstrate anxiety by licking or chewing on their initial point of infection. Anxiety may make the animal seem fearful of contact with people or other animals. Anxiety may manifest through uncharacteristic shyness or irritability. Thus, normally friendly animals will be less social. While infected animals may appear aggressive or anxious, others show signs of being friendly. Ultimately, friendliness in infected animals is one of the biggest dangers to humans or other uninfected animals, as contact with an infected animal can lead to infection. Stay away from stray or feral animals that seem friendly. A friendly animal can turn aggressive very quickly, especially if they are infected with rabies. Avoid approaching a wild animal because it shows signs that it is friendly. Some infected wild animals may seem unusually calm or even docile.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Watch for unusual behavior. Look for aggressive behavior. Watch for signs of anxiety. Beware if an animal seems overly friendly.