Press Release: Raccoon Tests Positive for Rabies in Bernardsville Borough - 6/20/25

Contact: Dawn Marling, Health Officer

(908) 204-3070

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

RACCOON TESTS POSITIVE FOR RABIES IN BERNARDSVILLE BOROUGH

Basking Ridge, NJ (June 20, 2025) – An aggressive raccoon has tested positive for rabies after biting a person who was gardening in Bernardsville Borough on June 16, 2025. The raccoon was captured and submitted for testing and results provided to the Bernards Township Health Department on June 19, 2025 were positive. The affected individual has received post-exposure medical care. Bernards Township Health Officer Dawn Marling is asking any resident or pet owner in the Stevens Lane & Pleasant Valley Road neighborhood that may have had an encounter with this raccoon to immediately contact the Health Department at (908) 204-3070.

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that can be prevented by avoiding contact with animals that may be rabid. Rabies poses a real threat, especially to unvaccinated domestic animals. This incident should serve as a reminder for pet owners to ensure their animals are up-to-date with rabies vaccination. Pet owners are reminded not to allow their pets to run at-large, which can put them at risk of encountering rabid wildlife. Discourage wild animal foraging by not leaving pet food outside and by securing garbage cans. Avoid feeding, touching, or housing stray or wild animals. 

Raccoons, skunks, coyotes, and unvaccinated cats and dogs are among the animals that can also develop rabies. Behavioral signs of rabid animals, wild or domestic, may include staggering, restlessness, aggression, a change of the tone of their barks or growls, or choking. Passive animals sometimes become fierce and aggressive. While raccoons are mostly nocturnal, daytime activity doesn’t always mean something is wrong. If you see a domestic or wild animal that is sick, injured, or behaving oddly, leave it alone and contact your local Animal Control Officer.

If you or a loved one are bitten or scratched by an unfamiliar animal, or an animal suspected of having rabies, immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention. Ask your healthcare provider to report the bite and coordinate with the Bernards Township Health Department.

For more information about rabies, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/

The Bernards Township Health Department is the contractual health agency for Bernards Township, Bernardsville Borough, Chester Borough, Long Hill Township, Mendham Borough, and Peapack and Gladstone Borough.

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