Students and employees at the University of Colorado at Boulder are reminded to take precautions with local wildlife in order to avoid contracting contagious diseases.
Wildlife-related diseases reported in Boulder County this summer include plague, hantavirus, tularemia and rabies, according to campus and county health officials. The CU-Boulder campus is home to many animals including squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, prairie dogs and bats.
Plague was identified within the city of Boulder this summer and can spread to humans when infected fleas from ground squirrels, prairie dogs or other wild rodents bite people. Cats and dogs also can transmit the disease to their owners by carrying the plague or plague-infected fleas.
Students, faculty and staff are reminded not to feed squirrels living on campus and to report any problems with squirrels, rodents, birds or other animals, said Edward von Bleichert, CU-Boulder's integrated pest management coordinator.
Dead animals also can transmit disease to humans and should never be handled, von Bleichert said. Requests to remove dead animals or to report animal problems can be called in at any time of day or night to the Facilities Management service desk at (303) 492-5522 seven days a week.
Dead animals can transmit diseases when people come in contact with blood or other bodily fluids, or from contact with infected fleas and ticks on the animals, von Bleichert said. Letting designated campus employees dispose of dead animals safely also provides Boulder County Public Health the opportunity to test them for diseases.
Squirrels intruding into human living areas on campus are "live trapped" and relocated to appropriate areas, he said.
"We're very careful to accommodate wildlife on campus," he said. "It's not necessarily the wildlife that are the problem, it's often the insects they host."
Few prairie dogs live on the CU-Boulder campus, but there are colonies in Boulder County. Pet owners should not allow their dogs or cats to roam through prairie dog colonies or areas where rodents live, von Bleichert said.
To protect people and pets from the plague, Boulder County Public Health recommends the following precautions:
o Avoid Fleas. The best protection for pets, especially cats, is to keep them indoors. Additional protection can be provided by using flea powder and keeping pets out of wild rodent habitats.
o Stay out of areas that wild rodents inhabit. If you enter areas with wild rodents, wear insect repellent and tuck pant cuffs into socks to prevent fleabites.
o Avoid all contact with wild rodents, including squirrels. Do not feed or handle them.
o Never touch sick or dead animals with your bare hands. If an animal must be moved, use a long-handled shovel to place it in a garbage bag, and place the bag in an outdoor garbage can.
o Prevent rodent infestations around your house. Clear plants and materials away from outside walls, reduce access to food items and set traps.
o See a physician if you become ill with a high fever or swollen lymph nodes.
o See a veterinarian if your pet becomes ill with a high fever or an open sore. Pets with plague can transmit the illness to humans.
Boulder County reported its first-ever cases of hantavirus this summer, which is primarily contracted from rodent droppings, von Bleichert said. Although the risk of contracting the disease is low, people cleaning out sheds or other areas containing rodent feces or nests are advised to first wet the areas down with a bleach solution and to wear gloves and a dust mask before sweeping or cleaning. And people should never vacuum up rodent droppings.
A squirrel in Boulder also was confirmed positive for tularemia in July. Tularemia, also known as "rabbit fever," can be passed to humans or animals through the bite of infected insects, and by handling or eating infected or dead animals.
To report animal problems or to have dead animals removed, CU-Boulder students and employees should call the Facilities Management service desk at (303) 492-5522.
For more information about wildlife-related diseases call the Boulder County Public Health hotline at (303) 441-1460 or visit .