Fox Rabies in Florida

Abstract

Fox rabies has always been recognized as a substantial part of the rabies problem in Florida. The purpose of this paper is to present our data on rabies in the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus floridanus Rhoads), the only native species which supports epizootic rabies in Florida. Red foxes (Vulpes fulva), which are increasing in number in parts of the western counties, have not been implicated as rabies vectors. The data presented here were gathered from records of the state and county health organizations, from citizens and public servants who were involved in rabies control work, and from field observations made during control operations in the last four years of an epizootic. Much of the information about rabid fox behavior came from