Baltimore Warns of 5 More Rabid Foxes Near Stony Run Park After 2 Positive Tests

Q: Five potentially rabid foxes remain at large in a Baltimore neighborhood. What is the city's plan to find them?

Baltimore’s plan is to search the Roland Park area directly and rely on residents to help locate the remaining foxes. The city said Health Department officers have already canvassed the areas where the two rabid foxes were found, including near Stoney Run Park and the 4400 block of Linkwood Road. That door-to-door and on-the-ground sweep is the immediate field response as officials try to identify whether as many as five more foxes from the same den are still nearby. At the same time, officials are asking the public to act as extra eyes on the ground. Residents who have seen, handled, or had pets interact with a fox in Roland Park are being told to contact the Baltimore City Health Department at 410-396-4436 during business hours, or the Baltimore City Operator at 410-396-3100 after hours and on weekends. Public reporting is central to the city’s effort because the foxes may move through yards, parks, and nearby streets before animal control can find them. Health officials are also focusing on exposure control while the search continues. Residents near Stoney Run Park are being urged to check pets for bite marks, keep rabies vaccinations current, avoid contact with wildlife, and seek immediate medical advice if there was any possible exposure. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, so the city’s strategy is both to find the foxes and quickly identify any people or animals that may already have been exposed.

3 articles · Updated · thebanner.com · Jun 10

Baltimore officials said up to five more foxes from the same den may still be roaming Roland Park after several foxes found near Stony Run Park tested positive for rabies.
At least one person may have had contact with a rabid fox, prompting the city to urge residents to avoid the animals, report possible exposure, and check pets for bites and current rabies shots.
Two confirmed foxes were picked up near Overhill Road and Meadow Lane and the 4400 block of Linkwood Road, both along the edges of the popular North Baltimore park.
Rabies spreads through infected saliva, usually by bites, and is fatal once symptoms begin, though immediate treatment can prevent infection.
Maryland typically records more than 200 animal rabies cases a year, including one to two dozen in Baltimore, while no human cases were reported statewide in the decade through 2024.