A woman’s trip with an unusual animal to a Maine Petco resulted in a rabies alert that has since been lifted.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife shared on Facebook that the woman took a raccoon to the pet supply business on Tuesday afternoon to have the animal’s nails clipped.
The department said in the post that “It is illegal to possess wildlife in Maine, and Petco does not trim raccoon nails.”
Officials said that the woman allowed people to handle and even kiss the raccoon, but that came to an end when the store manager was alerted about the animal and the woman was asked to leave.
Luckily, the wildlife department found the woman and the raccoon tested negative for rabies.
Officials issued an alert because raccoons frequently carry rabies in Maine. Rabies can be spread through saliva or neural tissue. A person can be exposed through an animal bite or scratch. It can also be transmitted through the eyes, nose or mouth.
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