Livestock are dying in Minnesota. Health officials warn that the phenomenon is caused by rabid skunks infecting animals and increasing rabies cases in parts of the state.
Data from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, released Friday by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, shows 32 cases of rabies in the state this year. Last year, there were 20 cases during the same period. The spike has been concentrated in southwestern and central Minnesota, driven by rabid skunks.
“This is a significant increase compared to other years,” Carrie Klumb, an epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health, told the newspaper. “This is not a normal year.”
According to Klumb, at least 24 people who came into contact with rabid animals have been advised to get a rabies vaccination this year.
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In a normal year, the state would see three to five rabid skunks, Klumb said. But the state has already surpassed that number this year, with 12 recorded infections in August. Over the past decade, the state has averaged one case of rabid cattle per year, but so far in 2024, there have been six infections. All six died.
According to the state Animal Health Council, rabid skunks can become fearless and aggressive, even biting larger animals, such as livestock.
Minnesota has had an unusually mild winter, which could lead to more rabid skunks, said Erik Jopp, assistant director of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. Warmer winters allow the animals to stay active instead of hiding from the elements, he added.
Officials are advising Minnesota residents to stay away from skunks this summer and to consider vaccinating their pets and livestock, if they haven’t already.
