Someone took a pet raccoon to a bar. Then all of North Dakota got a rabies warning

Someone took a pet raccoon into a bar, leading to a rabies warning for all of North Dakota.

The “captive raccoon” was brought into a bar in Maddock, North Dakota, on Tuesday, Sept. 6, North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) said in the news release.

The bartender told the Bismarck Tribune that about 10 people were in the bar at the time. The person showed the raccoon to the bartender and another customer as the employee tried to get it out “as fast as I could,” the outlet reported.

The warning from the HHS said the incident may have exposed people to rabies. “Anyone who may have been bitten by the raccoon, or had contact with the raccoon’s saliva, should speak with a health care provider as soon as possible,” the release issued Sept. 13 said.

“Because rabies is such a serious disease with a nearly 100% fatality rate, we are making this information available to the public as a precautionary measure,” Amanda Bakken, an epidemiologist with HHS, said in the news release.

The HHS also noted that raccoons are “unlawful” pets in North Dakota.

Maddock is about 135 miles northeast of Bismarck.

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