Rabid jackal caught at Kinneret beach after bites on nearby shore

Israel’s Health Ministry said a female jackal infected with rabies was captured Monday night at Dogit Beach on the Sea of Galilee, in the Golan Regional Council area. The capture followed a weekend in which there were two attempted attacks at the beach and about 10 people were bitten at nearby Duga Beach.

During the incident in which the jackal was caught, a ranger and another person came into contact with the animal and were both given preventive treatment. The Health Ministry and the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry warned that rabies is “dangerous and fatal.”

Authorities asked anyone who had contact with a stray animal in the area between May 30 and June 13, inclusive, to urgently contact the nearest district health office to check whether preventive treatment is needed. They also urged parents to ask children whether they had been near suspicious animals, and told people who were at the relevant beaches with pets to see a veterinarian as soon as possible and report that they had been in the area where the rabid jackal was trapped.

The Health Ministry repeated its instructions for anyone bitten or scratched by an animal: wash the wound immediately with running water and soap, disinfect it, and go to a health office to determine whether rabies prophylaxis is needed. Local residents also described a longer-running jackal problem in nearby communities, saying the animals have been moving around villages for more than a year and increasingly appearing near homes during the day as well as at night.