Experts: Rabid squirrel found in Iowa is rare

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IOWA CITY, Iowa - Experts say Iowa's case of a rabid squirrel is "extraordinarily rare."

The squirrel bit a woman on her foot as she got into her car in Iowa City last Friday. She locked the squirrel in her garage. It then bit an animal control officer who captured it on Saturday.

The squirrel was acting strangely - lethargic one moment and attacking the next.

The squirrel was taken to the Iowa Hygienic Laboratory and tested positive for rabies.

Lab spokesman Mike Pentella says there have only been two other cases in the United States this decade in which squirrels tested positive for rabies.

He says based on the strain of rabies, the squirrel probably got the disease from a bat bite.

Tags: state and region, wildlife, squirrels, daily updates