Rabies Identified in Tamandua for 1st Time in Tennessee Zoo

[Gomphothere]

Discovery was made after a tamandua transferred from a Virginia zoo to a zoo in Washington County,Tennessee, fell ill, was euthanized, and the necropsy revealed rabies.

A rabid anteater was moved from one zoo to another, leading to rabies treatment for 13 people
Zoo anteater exposed people to rabies in first-of-its-kind case
Anteater at Tennessee zoo contracts species’ 1st known case of rabies

 

[TinoPup]

The animal came from VA Safari Park and went to Brights. A few of us have been speculating about how the tamandua could have even gotten bit in the first place! The enclosure is outdoors but is walled on three sides and the top, with just the front open. The mesh has small spacing, so the tamandua would have had to have been leaning against it and not moving to get bit by a raccoon or something. It's a miracle they only lost the tamandua to it, given almost all of their mammals are more likely to contract it (carnivores, primates, ungulates).

 

[Gomphothere]

Could have been a bat bite.

 

[Coelacanth18]

Could have been a bat bite.

That was my suspicion as well. However, the article specified it was a strain found in local raccoons and I thought I remembered someone telling me that bat rabies and carnivore rabies are not the same strain, so I'm unsure if that's the case.

 

[Echobeast]

Also rabies can remain dormant for years so there’s no real telling when it could have happened.

 

[Great Argus]

Quite incredible the tamandua contracted it in the first place, given they have one of the lowest body temperatures of any mammal. Species with low body temperatures are notable for low rabies prevalence.